New romantic film "B for Busy" by an emerging female director has been showered with rave reviews following advance screenings, with some critics naming it their film of the year.

The film is written and directed by 30-year-old Shao Yihui, and stars veteran director-actor Xu Zheng, Wu Yue, Ma Yili and Ni Hongjie. With fresh and interesting plotlines, the story explores love, relationships and friendships among middle-aged women and men from the perspective of women. What makes the film even more special is that almost all the dialogue is in the Shanghai dialect, which adds to the film's realism and showcases the charms of the metropolis.

Shao explained her original vision for the film, and how she separated her work from other romantic films. "I don't think a film for women has to have a powerful woman protagonist, and I also don't want women to be singled out to be gazed at," she said. "I don't want to objectify either men or women, because they're the ones who should control their own lives. I don't want to get too lofty or deify women. That's why I included the male perspective of Lao Bai (played by Xu Zheng), and hope the film can be enjoyed by men too. Only when women are freer, will men be more at ease and relaxed."

Xu Zheng, who is also the film's executive producer, said he regarded the director as someone who creates narratives of independent women, adding that she is also pure and witty. "The Chinese market shouldn't only focus on blockbusters or films in certain genres. We need contemporary films with urban flavor, style and texture. 'B for Busy' is just such a work. That's very important for the current film market," he said at the screening event. 

The last time Xu served as both executive producer and actor for a film project by a new director was on Wen Muye's "Dying to Survive" in 2018. That film went on to become one of China's top grossing films, raking in 3.1 billion yuan and triggering widespread social debate about medicine and medical care.

"B for Busy" will likely generate heated discussion in society about romantic relationships and how women can complete themselves after it hits movie theaters nationwide on Dec. 24. The movie's three lead actresses — Ma Yili, Wu Yue and Ni Hongjie — all shared their views during Tuesday's screening event, including their opinions that women should not give up their jobs and their thoughts on how they should protect themselves.

"This is my No. 1 Chinese film this year!" praised director Xin Yunkun, who attended an advance screening in Beijing. "There are lots of warm moments in the film like in classic movies — that moved me a lot. Plus, the film has a lot in it to make audiences think."

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