Dying to Survive (2025)
12.9K recommendations
Release Date: 20250205
Director: Liu Haojie
Cast: Xiao Yang, Zhang Yu, Liu Yase, Wang Xun, Yang Xinming
Production: China Film Group Corporation, Beijing Bad Monkey Pictures
Synopsis of the Dying to Survive
The alleyways of Shanghai are damp and noisy, and Cheng Yong's Indian herbal oil shop is deserted. Burdened with rent arrears, he also has to take care of his bedridden father and young son, and his life has long hit rock bottom. Until Lu Shouyi, a leukemia patient, finds him, begging him to buy a generic drug called "Gleevec" from India— the genuine drug is so expensive that ordinary patients can hardly afford it, while the Indian generic drug has a similar curative effect but costs less than one-tenth of the price. At first, Cheng Yong firmly refuses, fearing imprisonment for breaking the law. But looking at the desperate eyes of Lu Shouyi and countless other patients, coupled with the pressure of his father's urgent need for surgery fees, he finally relents. His first cross-border drug run is chaotic: he has to evade customs inspections, negotiate with Indian pharmaceutical factories, and deal with the doubts of patients. He assembles a group of special "partners": Liu Sihui, who speaks English; Pastor Liu, who is eloquent; and Peng Hao, the skilled and agile "Yellow Hair". Their generic drug business grows bigger and bigger, helping thousands of leukemia patients, and Cheng Yong transforms from a down-and-out peddler to a "drug god" in the eyes of the patients. But good times don't last. The investigation by the genuine drug factory, the meddling of counterfeit drug traffickers, and the police investigation follow one after another, putting Cheng Yong in a dilemma: continuing to sell the drugs means breaking the law and committing a crime; stopping the sale means countless patients will fall into despair again. When Lu Shouyi's condition deteriorates and he passes away due to the interruption of medication, Cheng Yong finally makes up his mind to continue supplying the drugs to those in need, even if he has to bear the risks alone, even if it's at cost price or even a loss.
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