Winner by unanimous decision
Sony Pictures, which acquired the English remake rights to Jia's directorial debut, Hi, Mom, in October last year, once again demonstrated its confidence in her by announcing the acquisition of the international distribution rights to YOLO last month.
Hi, Mom, a time-travel comedy inspired by the passing of Jia's own mother, earned 5.4 billion yuan in 2021, propelling her to the position of world's highest-grossing female director. It was a record she held for around two years until she was overtaken by American director Greta Gerwig on the back of her 2023 global box-office smash hit Barbie.
YOLO also stars Lei Jiayin, and Jia's longtime collaborator, Zhang Xiaofei, who plays Du Ledan, Du Leying's younger sister. The story unfolds as the long-unemployed protagonist, who is introverted and directionless, refuses to participate in a TV show that might lead to a job opportunity for her, causing a dispute in the family.
Further turmoil arises when she discovers that her boyfriend and best friend are cheating on her with each other. Crestfallen and frustrated, she decides to leave home and start anew as a waitress in a barbecue restaurant. She encounters a boxing coach, portrayed by Lei, who she mistakenly believes is a man deserving of her love and trust.
After experiencing all these setbacks, Du Leying is rocked further after she discovers that she is also being exploited by her relative, a journalist working for the TV station that aired the show. In desperation, she turns to boxing to vent her frustrations and discovers a new sense of purpose, pouring all her passion and effort into the sport as she trains to enter a tournament.
The competition scenes, which took nearly four months of preparation, were shot over eight days and were the most important for Wang.
"We choreographed more than 10 versions, and the final scene contains around 150 moves," recalls Wang.
"When the scene was being shot, I didn't sit by the monitor screen as usual. I walked to the boxing ring, standing close to Jia. I needed to encourage her again and again," says Wang.
