Set Off, directed by debutant Liu Jiang, is the first film completed under China Film Group's young filmmaker funding project. Garnering great word of mouth when it was released theatrically, this low-budget comedy is highly acclaimed for its smart script and great casting, and critics even compare it to 2006's Crazy Stone, another Mainland sleeper hit. Set Off is about Lao Cui (played by comedy star Fan Wei), a good-for-nothing but kind-hearted man running a Chinese restaurant in Cyprus. He comes home to Beijing only to find his wife cheated on him, pregnant with his best friend's baby. Devastated, Cui's misfortune is further compounded by the news that his business partner is going to sell his restaurant. Before he flies back to Cyprus, Cui bumps into a sassy girl named Xiao Xia (played by the multi-talented Ju Wenpei, who is also the film's composer), and his real nightmare has only just begun...
