C-Drama Director´s Editions Series: Li Mo (Remembrance of Things Past)
This Behind the Scenes: Director's Edition series was created on a simple idea: following directors' portfolios is one of the many ways to discover new gems and stories.
Once you start watching cdramas, especially non-idol ones, you soon realise that certain stories and overall quality are often linked to specific production teams, scriptwriters and directors. Of course, not every series made by them will be a masterpiece every time, but it’s clear that some align better with your tastes and preferences than others. So, besides keeping an eye on the actors’ projects, following directors and production companies is also a good way to adjust expectations.
Today's entry is dedicated to Li Mo, a director whose portfolio includes very popular and well-loved dramas among international audiences, such as Remembrance of Things Past, Fake It Till You Make It, and Begin Again, mixed with others that have passed largely unnoticed: Song of Life and Me and My Family. It's a mystery why some of his projects are so well known while others remain hidden to this day, given the fact that you can find a common thread among them. It's worth noting that Remembrance of Things Past was nominated for Outstanding TV Series at the 33rd China TV Drama Flying Apsaras Award.
Most of his projects are female-centric, urban and modern, tackling issues where the balance between professional life, personal development and relationships, whether friendship, family or romantic love, is always present. Their characters are mostly young people in their 20s and 30s, and very relatable in their contemporary conflicts.
I’ll leave a link to his MDL profile if you’re interested in digging a bit deeper into his work.
Some of his projects
🎬 Remembrance of Things Past (2021)
我在他乡挺好的 ‧ Wo Zai Ta Xiang Ting Hao De
Synopsis: The drama focuses on the real life of young people from other places in big cities. Four girls from Northeast China are struggling in Beijing. They have dreams, but they are also forced to drift with the tide due to reality. They have their own life trajectories, and under certain special circumstances, their lives intersect.
[More info]
🎬 Song of Life (2022)
三悦有了新工作 ‧ San Yue You Le Xin Gong Zuo
Synopsis: Song of Life takes on the perspective of young individuals born after 1995. After a series of events, Zhao San Yue finds herself working as a mortuary makeup artist at a funeral parlor. The story tells the journey from when she first starts and doesn’t understand much of the career, to when she becomes serious about doing makeup for the deceased as she comprehends the matters of life and death.
[More info]
🎬 Fake it Till You Make it (2023)
装腔启示录 ‧ Zhuang Qiang Qi Shi Lu
Synopsis: It tells the contemporary love story of Tang Ying and Xu Ziquan, who are struggling in the workplace of a big city, from testing each other to taking off their masks, and then to building trust and regaining themselves.
[More info] - Review here
🎬 Begin Again (2024)
灿烂的风和海 ‧ Can Lan De Feng He Hai
Synopsis: The play revolves around three adventures in Macau, a city where modern prosperity and ancient charm intertwine. The main story tells of Chen Jiahui, an art gallery curator with an outgoing personality, who meets Han Junhao, a race car driver who comes to Macau Grand Prix, and begins a romantic love story that combines speed and passion.
[More info]
🎬 Me and My Family (2025)
180天重启计划 ‧ 180 Tian Pei Chan Ji Hua
Synopsis: Twenty-eight-year-old Gu Yun Su, facing heartbreak and unemployment, returns home to her mother, Wu Li Mei, who is unexpectedly pregnant at 48. As Wu Li Mei’s caregiver during the high-risk pregnancy, Gu Yun Su navigates life with her determined mother, new stepfather, and non-biological brother. Over 180 days, mother and daughter develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for each other.
[More info]
Upcoming dramas
🎬 Simple Jane
简单的人生 ‧
Synopsis: The drama tells the story of a 35-year-old woman who gets caught in a loop of life. Through experiencing ordinary life, illness, and the pursuit of dreams, she eventually realizes where the meaning of life lies
Currently, there isn’t any info on MDL (not a surprise, and not the first time it’s happened...)
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Female-centric dramas aren’t really my thing, so it was only to be expected that I haven’t had much luck with Li Mo’s dramas, although I might give Begin Again a try at some point. I noticed and particularly like though, is that the Chinese names of their dramas are quite descriptive of their main topics, contrary to some of the English one that loose that flair.
But if you’re on the other side of the experience, you can surely add more insightful thoughts about Li Mo and his dramas. What can you say about them? Have you seen the less popular ones? Would you give them a try having watched the more popular ones?
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If you tap in the flair etiquete of this post, you'll find all the previous Director's Edition Series, or just check the WIKI