Are You Lonesome Tonight? is now available on Digital and VOD from Film Movement
Filmmaker Wen Shipei was only one feature project in, having directed the Camera d’Or-nominated crime thriller, Are You Lonesome Tonight? I don’t know what that means for a lot of other critics or folks in film circles but I think it speaks volumes of a director’s ability to tell a story and other prospects looking forward.
This one is set in 1990s Guangzhou when Wang Xueming (Eddie Peng), an AC repairman accidentally hits a pedestrian and drives off. Racked with guilt, he slowly encroaches on the goings-on of his widow, Mrs. Liang (Sylvia Chang) in a friendship that slowly materializes between awkward passerby moments coupled with acts by design on Wang’s part. The film takes a stark turn about halfway in when truths begin to unravel about the fateful evening, as dauntless detective Chen (Wang Yanhui) gets involved, and a shadowy hitman (Lu Xin) lurks in the night, hunting Wang following a shocking discovery.
Wen’s neo-noir thriller debut starts with a slow-and-steady, stimulating effect, puzzled at first and gradually assembled piece by piece from top to bottom. Par for the course is a moment during the film in which a blackout takes place, a plot tool that Wen uses promisingly as a storytelling mechanic for certain illustrative and cerebral moments; Scenes shot completely in the dark with nothing more than a light shot from POV pave the way to fill in the blanks as the story progresses.
The acting is terrific as well with Peng undertaking yet another role that shows his depth and veracity, coupled with Chang in a role with performances that are delivered with raw effect. Both characters invoke a cordiality that is far from romantic, but still cohesive and meaningful, and less elliptical as events unfold, and the story escalates into dangerous territory where consequences begin to arise under violent means and Peng’s character has no choice but to save the day. A crackling foot chase and gun battle stir things up as the film edges closer and recapitulates, peppered with an adequate touch of the red stuff for the desired effect.
Are You Lonesome Tonight? – the film’s very title – takes on a life of its own for a story that resonates handsomely after ninety minutes of being thrust into uncertainty, with performances that are moving and gripping, and twists grab hold of you and challenge you to tread the darkness all the same. Fans keen on the works of Wong Kar-Wai or Park Chan-wook will certainly find themselves at home with Wen’s feature debut.
