Have you seen the movie "Dying to Survive"?
By: DaDa
Recently, a movie has been flooding my social media feed, and I believe many of you have already seen it. Its name is "Dying to Survive." The film is directed by Wen Muye, co-produced by Ning Hao and Xu Zheng, and stars Xu Zheng, Zhou Yiwei, Wang Chuanjun and other actors. It tells the story of Cheng Yong, the owner of an aphrodisiac oil shop, who goes from a small vendor who can't even pay his rent to becoming the exclusive agent for the Indian generic drug "Gleevec." Currently, it has a Douban rating of 9.0, which is a rare high score among recently released domestic films. Today, let me chat with you about the movie "Dying to Survive."
Some people say: "Every ticket sold is an audience member voting for domestic genre films that dare to confront reality."
Some people say: "After all these years, there's finally a realistic film that has won some dignity for Chinese cinema."
Others say: "I once thought that films like 'Silenced' would never appear on Chinese screens, but now there's finally a precedent."
Before the movie was even released, it was already being hailed as the miracle drug of the domestic summer box office, and when it finally came out, the box office exploded and word of mouth caught fire.
The protagonist of the story is named Cheng Yong, a middle-aged small vendor trapped in hardship, running a struggling business. By chance, he came into contact with leukemia patients. To make a living and regain custody of his child, he took the risk of becoming the exclusive agent for the Indian generic drug "Gleevec," and was even given the title of "Drug God" by fellow patients. At first, he only wanted to make money through this agency and fight for custody of his child, but after truly entering the community of leukemia patients, he underwent an astonishing transformation and growth, even willing to end up in prison to do everything he could to save every patient. In the end, after heavy investigation by the police and the pleading of leukemia patients, Cheng Yong was sentenced to three years in prison.
Since it's a film based on real events, there must be a real-life prototype, just like "Silenced." Of course, "Dying to Survive" also has its prototype, and he is Lu Yong. Lu Yong previously ran a textile factory in Wuxi, but was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and needed to take Swiss Gleevec, but the price of this drug was extremely expensive. By chance, he learned online about "Indian Gleevec." After taking it for a period of time, he was amazed to find that the effects of the two drugs were almost the same, so he became the first Chinese person to contact an Indian manufacturer.
With Lu Yong's help, many leukemia patients had their condition suppressed through this drug. As the number of leukemia patients in China increased, the price of the drug gradually decreased, costing only just over 200 yuan per box, much cheaper than the Swiss drug. However, no matter how good the efficacy or how affordable the price, Indian Gleevec is always a generic drug and has not been included in China's drug manual. Under Chinese law, it is a fake drug.
In the end, Lu Yong was prosecuted in 2004 on suspicion of selling fake drugs. During his detention in the detention center, over a thousand leukemia patients jointly submitted a petition, hoping to exempt him from criminal punishment. Of course, Lu Yong was eventually released, and under his influence, the expensive Swiss Gleevec was included in medical insurance in 19 provinces and cities.
Perhaps, from ancient times to the present, law and human compassion can never be fully reconciled, but as Cheng Yong said: "I don't care how many years I'm sentenced to; that's what I deserve. But what worries me most is what will happen to these leukemia patients who can't afford their medicine. That's the thing that most needs to be solved." This man, who was initially blinded by profit, later became a hero who saved thousands upon thousands of leukemia patients. What impressed me most was when Cheng Yong shouted at the top of his lungs in the hospital: "He's only 20 years old, what's wrong with wanting to live!" Life is always disheartening, and there will always be countless buckets of cold water poured on our hopes of living, but perhaps, it is still full of hope. Living is everything.
Alright, that's all for today's sharing. See you tomorrow!