China Daily Global Edition (USA)
A celebration of life
His love for poetry and people was so rare, and he loved Romania more than most of us do, certainly more than I did ... He was a romantic, heroic character who needs to be celebrated.” Documentary highlights talent and determination of inspirational young
director
If asked to name a European country famed for its literary heritage, few people would choose Romania — but for one 16-year-old in China, Romania was not just a place of inspiration, but somewhere that transformed his life, and the lives of people he met there.
This unlikely story, and its remarkable legacy, has been made into a Netflix documentary film, The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo, which had its world premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in England on Sunday.
Featuring his photos, poetry, blog extracts and film clips from 80 days of study in the country, mainly in the city of Bacau, it shows how Yin Yuguo immersed himself in Romania, its language and culture, and how the passionate outsider made locals think differently about their home.
Yuguo, from Kunming, Yunnan province, quickly made a name for himself in Romania. He was filmed performing the works of the national poet Mihai Eminescu in public in Romanian, to the amazement of locals. He found a spiritual home thousands of kilometers away from the land of his birth, even being granted honorary citizenship.
But tragically, just days after being filmed walking around in wide-eyed delight at national day celebrations, waving the Romanian flag, Yuguo died in an accident, falling from a train which had stopped in the snow.
The film shows how Romania changed him — and how he changed the Romanians he met.
“I was very sad when I heard about his accident, but once I started researching, that changed to a feeling of awe, discovering this amazing character,” says director, Ilinca Calugareanu.
“His love for poetry and people was so rare, and he loved Romania more than most of us do, certainly more than I did, until I discovered this new way to look at my own country through his eyes. He was a romantic, heroic character who needs to be celebrated.”
Two years after Yuguo’s death, before the pandemic began, Calugareanu began work on the film, first by approaching the University of Bacau, where the response was immediate.
“There was so much love and he left such a strong impression on everyone he met — he did the hard work for us,” she says.
Brought to life in the film through his own writing, the filmmakers show how Yuguo viewed the world, but it was the backing of his parents that really brought the project to life.
“They visited Romania after he died, and have tried to keep the connection to that part of his life alive, so when they heard a Romanian filmmaker was interested, they were very keen,” she adds.
The pandemic posed major production challenges, but the filmmakers worked round them.
“It was a big learning curve,” says producer Mara Adina. “We managed to get to Romania and shoot, but in China we had to use a local crew and watch their work on Zoom, working to their local time. We certainly learned a lot.”
“As a director, it’s very hard not to be able to be physically present, especially on a story like this,” adds Calugareanu. “I really wanted to be in the room with them, but the pandemic meant what would normally be an organic relationship became totally digitized.”
Netflix’s backing means the film will have global exposure — “the whole world can meet Yuguo,” says Calugareanu — but as so much of the story is about human interaction, a screening in Bacau is also planned. “It depends on getting his parents over,” she adds. “We want to be together in one room to watch it, as he would have wanted.”
The filmmakers’ free access to his personal effects gives Yuguo a presence in the film, but also puts a burden of responsibility on them to depict him appropriately.
“It was almost like an archaeological endeavor to use this material and people’s memories to build a true picture of him,” says Calugareanu. “Every day I worked on the project, I felt we would have been great friends. I hope the film allows other people to feel that pull.”
“We all like to present an image when we meet new people, but having access to such personal material meant we got past that part of Yuguo, which is very unusual,” adds Adina.
Yuguo’s parents have established a literature scholarship at the University of Bacau, which is keen to build closer ties with Chinese academic institutions, on the foundations he put down.
Although his sudden death left a feeling of incompleteness, the scholarship means Yuguo has enabled others to follow his path and pursue their own dreams in a way not previously possible.
The impact Romania made on Yuguo in his 16 years is remarkable, matched only by the impact he made on Romania in his 80 days there. The film shows how sometimes, home is not where a person is born, but where they are destined to go.
“What amazed me was how he left an impression on everyone he met, even if it was just the slightest interaction,” says Adina. “It wasn’t shallow, it was because he took the time to get to know the person — he made people feel seen.
“During the pandemic, we’ve all become so disconnected. He shows how even the most seemingly fleeting connection can make a difference, if we take the time to look at people properly.
“It’s made me think about how I connect with people in my daily life, because that’s what Yuguo did with so many people, in such a big way.”