Chinese company and under a profit-sharing film, Shiao felt the work could be distributed in China without the restrictions placed on other American films. He also felt it would aid diplomacy between the two countries after changes in China's handling of intellectual properties. He notes, however, that Chinese authorities would first have to approve the film, which "push[es] the envelope". It took a year of negotiations over "script approvals, actor selections and crew" for the co-production to be approved, but Shiao felt it was important that the film be viewable to both Chinese and American audiences. Distribution Restless was first screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival in November 1998. Additional screenings followed at Shown at Cinema Seattle/Women in Cinema Film Festival, held from January 29–February 4, 1999, the Cleveland International Film Festival in March 1999, and at the New York Women's Film Festival on April 22, 1999. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States, premiering in Los Angeles on November 3, 2000. It was later aired in San Francisco starting on January 19, 2001, and in New York City on January 26, 2001. It was released on Region 1 DVD by Arrow Releasing on December 4, 2001. Reception By the end of its theatrical run on February 8, 2001, Restless had a gross earnings of $18,154 in the United States. It received generally negative reviews from American film critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 39 based on 10 reviews. Ken Eisner of Variety thought the performances and script were good, and that the film would appeal to Mandarin-speaking areas of the world. Laura Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel drew comparisons to Sex and the City, but called Restless "less smart and less overtly sexual". She also called the film clichéd and noted that its parallel storylines expressed redundant themes. Dennis Lim of The Village Voice noted that Gilfillan relies on "rote culture-clash pratfalls" and fails to deliver on any of its promised storylines. Several critics noted the good use of Beijing scenery, and that Restless exposes some settings in Beijing that viewers might not otherwise see. Soundtrack "Restless" by Faye Wong — opening song References External links 1998 films Chinese romantic drama films Films about Chinese Americans Films about interracial romance Films set in Beijing Films