Cast and crew of Einstein and Einstein.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

But the dog then disappears.

The film was the best feature winner at the 2014 Beijing College Student Film Festival.

“Although the film has been waiting for a general release for five years, the theme it highlights still resonates with many families nowadays. It’s the kind of film which will never be ‘outdated’,” says Cao.

Dozens of celebrities, including Xu Zheng, Huang Bo, Liao Fan, Yao Chen and Guan Hu, attended the film's promotional event on Nov 30.

Guan says the film goes beyond the traditionally coming-of-age genre.