Long Day’s Journey Into Night
2018, 140 minutes, Digital 2-D, NR
China and France
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
Director: Bi Gan
Cast: Wei Tang, Jue Huang, Sylvia Chang, Hong-Chi Lee, and Yongzhong Chen
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Bi Gan follows up his knockout debut, Kaili Blues, with this noir-tinged stunner about a lost soul (Jue Huang) on a quest to find a missing woman from his past (Wei Tang, Lust, Caution). Following leads across Guizhou province, he crosses paths with a series of colorful characters, among them a prickly hairdresser played by Taiwanese superstar Sylvia Chang. When the search leads him to a dingy movie theater, the film launches into an hour-long, gravity-defying shot that plunges its protagonist—and us—into a labyrinthine cityscape. China’s biggest arthouse hit of all time, the film took in more than $40 million dollars in its opening weekend at the domestic box office.
Official Selection:
Cannes Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
International Film Festival Rotterdam