Chinese Vertical Drama: Summer Rose

This is a very different Chinese Vertical Drama as it is very adult take on the genre. It does not have many of the tropes of Vertical Drama and it is very subdued and thoughtful. It is beautifully and carefully filmed. You have a very mature male character, Zhou Sheng An (Lu Xiao Xu). Even though the actor is only 27, he carries himself as if he was 37 or even older. I was amazed to find out how old he was. The female lead, Bai Qing Mei (Guo Yu Xin) is supposedly much younger, but the actress is only a year younger. Bai Qing Mei, is young, but mature, cosmopolitan, worldly, and creative. She is probably one of my favorite female characters of the Vertical format. She travels the world as a global photographer capturing wars and crisis. In the world she is bold, but in romance she is careful of having her freedom. Zhou Sheng An, is an older man, who is quiet, careful, polite, and very respectful towards Bai Qing Mei. 

Zhou Sheng An and Bai Qing Mei enter into an arranged marriage by both their families. Bai Qing Mei is a great female lead as she sets the rules and Zhou Sheng An has a green flag by accepting the terms, which are reasonable. They are to stay out of each other's careers and lives, be discreet, do not have any illegitimate children, Bai Qing Mei is set on a loveless contract marriage because her mother fell victim of falling in love in a contract marriage and it ended her will to live. 

Their chemistry sneaks up on you. This is a very quiet film. His attentiveness and his respect for her career, talents, mind, and beauty catches her off guard. She finds herself falling in love and stuck, because it was her who set this union up as a one without love. He is so polite and respects her need for space and it looks like he isn't interested from her point of view. That is something we see from these contract marriages. There is a tension of trying to determine if there are real feelings or merely obligation. The obstacles to love are more internal and intimate between them, rather than any "Green Tea" scheming or family intrigue. 

Actor Lu Xiao Xu has a very mature handsomeness and Actress Guo Yu Xin is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Their acting is top notch and subtle. They parcel out the heat of their chemistry in a careful way. The cinematography is far superior than usually found in these Vertical Dramas. It has a feeling of a mainstream Chinese Drama. The writing is also out of the league of Vertical Drama. Everything is just well thought out and the pacing is slower than in verticals, which can be more manic. 

This might be more boring for lovers of the manic energy that Chinese Vertical Dramas provide, but if you need a palate cleanser and a respite from the craziness, this is a great harbor to pull into. I did not regret watching this and I will probably watch this again in a couple of years.