Worth: $10.50
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Cast:
Lee Kang-sheng, Li Meng, Ren Ke
Intro:
… while beautiful in its own unhurried way, struggles to sustain the feature-length runtime.
After receiving multiple nominations for his 2021 short film of the same name, writer/director Wu Lang returns to the concept of strained relationships being rekindled with the same cast as the original, only this time in the form of a feature film.
After ten years in prison, Han Jiangyu, known to all as Yu (Lee Kang-sheng), comes home to find the world did not stop in his absence. His ex-lover Su Hong (Li Meng) has a child, Yao, who just happens to be about 9 years old; his friend Kai (Ren Ke) is rich, powerful, and involved in the kind of business that could land Yu right back behind bars if he’s not careful; and his island, Hainan, is both over-built and jarringly empty as the result of a housing crisis, a legacy from Kai’s wheeling-and-dealing father.
The atmosphere is stark and moody, and cinematographer Deng Xu proves to be a master of the craft, imbuing concrete and tarp with a peculiar kind of beauty. The script is light on dialogue, the story relying largely on the actors’ ability to express their thoughts and emotions non-verbally, however Wu Lang’s skill at conveying his message through the simple framing of his shots resonates just as deeply without the over-abundance of small talk. Yu is often dwarfed within the frame, constantly off-centre, suggesting that while he may have returned to a place he once knew as home, he is never quite comfortable or settled in this new world.
The concept may have worked brilliantly as a short film, however what stands in place of a plot is something equally as sprawling and empty as the concrete jungle that haunts the island of Hainan. Wu Lang’s slow exploration of physical absence and the longing for familiarity upon one’s return, while beautiful in its own unhurried way, struggles to sustain the feature-length runtime.
