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Duckweed (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Duckweed (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 102 mins · Chinese
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Starring
Han Han, Mason Lee, Chow Yun-Fat, King Shih-Chieh, Fang Li, Deng Chao

When a son attempts to reconcile with his father, a series of fateful events allow him to experience the father’s life in the past.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (4)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (4)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Duckweed
  8. 8 Every angle
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4 main characters · contains spoilers

Duckweed Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Duckweed (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Xu Tailang (Deng Chao)

    A time-traveling son who witnesses his father’s life in the past. The rally-episode propels him to revisit the hometown, where he seeks understanding of the father he never fully knew. His curiosity and empathy drive the misadventure that reveals family history.

    • 🕰️ Time traveler
    • 👦 Protagonist
    • 🧭 Curious
  • Xu Zhengtai (Eddie Peng-Yu-Yan)

    played by Eddie Peng Yu-Yan

    The aging father whose past life unfolds in the 1998 town. His love for his wife, his sacrifices, and the reason behind his six-year prison sentence are gradually revealed. He embodies both tenderness and the weight of choices made long ago.

    • 👨 Father
    • 🧭 World-weary
    • 🔒 Ex-prisoner
  • Xiao Hua (Zhao Liying)

    The mother who committed suicide due to postpartum depression after giving birth. She appears in the past as a figure whose absence deeply impacts Ah Lang and his father. Her tragedy is a crucial element shaping the family’s history and the reconciliation arc.

    • 👩 Mother
    • 🧠 Depression
    • 💔 Tragic past
  • Old Man on the Rooftop (Han Han)

    An enigmatic elder who appears in the town and serves as a sage-like observer. He provides snippets of wisdom and a sense of humor that help guide the time-traveling duo through their journey. His presence adds a layer of commentary on memory and fate.

    • 👴 Elder
    • 🧭 Guide
    • 🗝️ Storyteller

Last updated: February 20, 2026 at 00:14

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Setting

Where and When Does Duckweed Take Place?

The setting of Duckweed (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

1998 and 2022

The story moves between 2022, when Xu Tailang wins the China Rally Championship, and 1998, the year the protagonist travels back to his birthplace. A hospital sequence triggers the leap to the past, allowing a revelation-filled reunion with his father’s youth. The dual timelines highlight how memories and choices shape-present relationships and identities.

Location

China, small town

The film unfolds in a quiet Chinese town that acts as the anchor for two eras. It contrasts present-day life with the late 1990s atmosphere, reflecting shifts in culture and family dynamics. The town’s everyday spaces ground the time-travel journey and the father-son reconciliation.

  • 🏞️ Rural
  • 👪 Family-centered
  • 🏘️ Small-town life

Last updated: February 20, 2026 at 00:14

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4 major themes

Duckweed Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Duckweed (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Family

    The central thread is the reconciliation between father and son. Through the time-slip, Ah Lang learns the burdens and sacrifices his father carried, reshaping his view of their relationship. The story uses humor and tenderness to bridge years of misunderstanding. Family bonds emerge as the emotional core driving the journey.

  • Time

    Time functions as both plot engine and emotional teacher. The shift from 2022 to 1998 reveals how past decisions ripple into the present. The device exposes hidden motives and softens old grievances. Ultimately, memory through time can heal rather than erase.

  • Past Life

    The 1990s rural life offers a window into the father’s world, with its social pressures and everyday struggles. It also foregrounds the mother’s fate, highlighting postpartum depression and the tragedy that followed. The past life shapes the family’s present and deepens the father-son bond.

  • Redemption

    The father’s six-year prison sentence becomes a key to understanding his choices and resilience. The son learns the complexities behind his father’s actions and finds a path to forgiveness. The film frames redemption as a process built on memory, empathy, and tempered understanding. The journey toward reconciliation is earned through confronting difficult truths.

Last updated: February 20, 2026 at 00:14

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Character & theme questions

Duckweed Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Duckweed (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

The film takes place in a quiet small town in rural China. This setting serves as the anchor for both the present-day timeline in 2022 and the past timeline in 1998, with everyday spaces in the town grounding the time-travel journey and the father-son reconciliation story.

  • china
  • small town
  • setting
  • rural
Q2

What time period does the story take place in?

The story unfolds across two time periods: 2022, when Xu Tailang wins the China Rally Championship, and 1998, when he travels back to his birthplace. The time shift between these two eras reveals how past decisions ripple into the present.

  • 1998
  • 2022
  • time period
  • timeline
Q3

What is the main theme about family?

The central theme is the reconciliation between father and son. Through a time-slip experience, Ah Lang learns about the burdens and sacrifices his father carried, which reshapes his understanding of their relationship. The film uses humor and tenderness to bridge years of misunderstanding, with family bonds emerging as the emotional core.

  • family
  • father
  • son
  • reconciliation
  • relationship
Q4

How does time work as a theme in the movie?

Time functions as both a plot engine and an emotional teacher in the story. The shift from 2022 to 1998 reveals how past decisions ripple into the present, exposing hidden motives and softening old grievances. The film suggests that memory through time can heal rather than erase past wounds.

  • time
  • memory
  • time travel
  • past present
Q5

Who is Xu Tailang?

Xu Tailang is the time-traveling son played by Deng Chao. After winning the China Rally Championship in 2022, he returns to his hometown where a hospital sequence triggers a leap to 1998. His curiosity and empathy drive the journey that reveals his family's hidden history.

  • xu tailang
  • deng chao
  • son
  • protagonist
Q6

Who is Xu Zhengtai?

Xu Zhengtai is the aging father played by Eddie Peng Yu-Yan. His past life unfolds in the 1998 town, where his love for his wife, his sacrifices, and the reason behind his six-year prison sentence are gradually revealed. He embodies both tenderness and the weight of choices made long ago.

  • xu zhengtai
  • eddie peng
  • father
  • prison
Q7

Who is Xiao Hua?

Xiao Hua is the mother played by Zhao Liying. She committed suicide due to postpartum depression after giving birth. She appears in the past timeline, and her tragedy is a crucial element that shapes the family's history and drives the father-son reconciliation arc.

  • xiao hua
  • zhao liying
  • mother
  • postpartum depression
Q8

What does the Past Life theme explore?

The Past Life theme offers a window into the father's world in 1990s rural China, highlighting its social pressures and everyday struggles. It foregrounds the mother's fate with postpartum depression and the tragedy that followed, showing how the past life shapes the family's present and deepens the father-son bond.

  • 1990s
  • rural life
  • postpartum depression
  • family history
Q9

How is redemption explored in the film?

The father's six-year prison sentence becomes a key to understanding his choices and resilience. The son learns the complexities behind his father's actions and finds a path to forgiveness. The film frames redemption as a process built on memory, empathy, and confronting difficult truths, earned through understanding rather than simply moving on.

  • redemption
  • prison
  • forgiveness
  • redemption arc
Q10

What is the role of the Old Man on the Rooftop?

The Old Man on the Rooftop, played by Han Han, serves as a sage-like observer in the town. He provides snippets of wisdom and humor that help guide the time-traveling duo through their journey. His presence adds a layer of commentary on memory and fate.

  • old man
  • han han
  • mentor
  • wisdom
  • guide
Q11

How does the small town setting influence the story?

The quiet Chinese town contrasts present-day life with the late 1990s atmosphere, reflecting shifts in culture and family dynamics over time. The everyday spaces of the small town ground the emotional journey and make the time-travel premise feel intimate and personal rather than fantastical.

  • small town
  • setting
  • rural china
  • cultural shift

Movie threads

More Movies Like Duckweed, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Duckweed tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Father-Son Reconciliation Stories Like Duckweed

Difficult family relationships mended through understanding and empathy. Discover movies like Duckweed that explore complex father-son relationships. These emotional dramas use unique narrative devices to bridge generational gaps, focusing on themes of understanding, forgiveness, and shared experience.

  • emotional
  • reflective
  • hopeful
  • dramatic
  • nostalgic
  • cathartic
  • Tone: bittersweet, emotional
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically begin with a state of conflict or emotional distance between a parent and child. A catalyst—often supernatural, like time travel, or a shared crisis—forces them to see each other's lives from a new perspective, leading to a climactic moment of understanding and a bittersweet resolution that acknowledges past hurts while building a hopeful future.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share a core focus on repairing family bonds, using emotionally resonant journeys to explore themes of empathy and forgiveness. They balance heavy emotional weight with moments of levity, resulting in a deeply cathartic and reflective viewing experience.

Bittersweet Time Travel Movies Like Duckweed

Personal histories revisited with emotional weight and introspection. If you liked the emotional time travel in Duckweed, explore these films that use a journey to the past for personal growth and family understanding. Similar movies blend drama with speculative elements for a thoughtful, bittersweet experience.

  • nostalgic
  • reflective
  • melancholic
  • dramatic
  • emotional
  • hopeful
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a protagonist granted an unexpected window into their personal past. This journey is less about changing major events and more about understanding the context of key relationships and hardships. The climax is an emotional revelation that re-contextualizes the present, leading to a resolution tinged with both the sadness of loss and the warmth of newfound understanding.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their use of time travel as a vehicle for emotional introspection rather than high-stakes sci-fi. They share a steady, reflective pace, a bittersweet tone balancing melancholy and hope, and a focus on character-driven stories about love, loss, and reconciliation.

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Movies Like Duckweed

Similar movies to Duckweed: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Every angle

Duckweed (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Duckweed in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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