Film Name: 浪浪人生 / Row to Win
Among this year’s National Day holiday releases, I initially thought “Row to Win” might be a dark horse contender—it seemed like a promising family comedy… But after watching it yesterday, I realized I’d overestimated it.
My strongest impression of this film is its utter flatness—truly flat, so utterly flat it’s almost flatlining. It’s plain, bland, mediocre, utterly unremarkable. So flat that I don’t even know what to praise about it, and I can’t even muster the energy to criticize it.
Reflecting on it afterward, I realized the viewing experience felt remarkably similar to reading early novels by the film’s producer Han Han, like “Three Doors”: lacking a clear, compelling narrative thread, more like writing whatever came to mind. While specific scenes and segments can be quite entertaining, with plenty of funny bits, stepping back to view the whole thing leaves you feeling a bit lost.
In literature, this kind of “stream-of-consciousness” or “slice-of-life” writing that eschews narrative drive and expressive force can be quite engaging… but applying the same approach to filmmaking is a recipe for disaster. Only masterful directors can pull it off effectively.
The core narrative of Row to Win follows the rise and fall of Huang Rongfa, the “big brother” returning to his coastal hometown. On one hand, he’s a burden and a sinner who brought debt upon his family; on the other, he’s a cherished relative they can’t bear to abandon. At its heart, the film depicts this family’s mundane, warm, and tumultuous daily life.
Yet the film clearly struggles to capture this “everydayness” effectively. It crammed in too many elements—often disjointed “clumps” that barely interact. You get painfully realistic scenes like brothers demanding debt repayment or scrambling for medical funds, alongside youthful scars like brawls and ghostwritten love letters. Throw in family drama like father-son reconciliation or taking revenge on a scumbag with your daughter, plus larger-than-life themes like underworld legends, suicide attempts, dragon boat racing—all themes substantial enough to carry their own standalone stories.
Most of these elements fail to coexist harmoniously, generating little synergy. Forcibly crammed into a lighthearted family comedy, the result feels disjointed and haphazard…
Previous works of this genre typically pursued intense dramatic conflict or explored unconventional perspectives. When executed well, they became masterpieces; when botched, they were lambasted as trash. Row to Win, however, manages to stir up life’s storms while simultaneously smoothing out every wrinkle. It’s impossible to praise it, and now even finding words to criticize it feels futile.
This is probably what you’d call a “true slice-of-life” film. If you don’t insist on finding some deeper meaning, then clearing your mind and watching a movie like this to relax isn’t such a bad idea.
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