Critic Rating
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Director
Shipei Wen
Cast
Eddie Peng,
Sylvia Chang,
Yanhui Wang,
Zhang Yu,
Jiang Peiyao,
Lu Xin
Genre
Crime,
Drama,
Mystery,
Thriller
On a dark night, Xueming hits a pedestrian with his car and flees the scene. Desperate to escape his feelings of guilt, he decides to approach the dead man’s wife, Mrs Liang. Meanwhile, the body is discovered – riddled with bullets. Chen, the detective in charge of the investigation, becomes obsessed with the case. Years later, all three remain caught in a tangled web of memories and lies, desperately searching for a truth that refuses to be revealed…
Film Threat by Bobby LePire
Are You Lonesome Tonight? is a masterclass of cinematic storytelling. Every element works together to enhance and build up each other. This might be Wen’s first feature film, but it heralds a top-notch director with a lot of swagger and much to say.
Movie Nation by Roger Moore
This quietly riveting Cannes Golden Camera Award (Best First Feature) nominee introduces a filmmaker with a great eye and almost serene patience, and an early mastery of this genre should he choose to make it his specialty.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kate Taylor
The story is running a bit thin by the end, yet the almost comic character of the investigative detective is underused. Still, the unlikely presence of Guangzhou, steamy by day, gritty by night, and the shifting viewpoints on the accident add an engaging originality.
The New York Times by Austin Considine
Part exploration of the ravages of guilt, part homage to the stylish Hong Kong gangster flicks of the 1990s, “Lonesome” (written by Wen with Noé Dodson, Wang Yinuo and Zhao Binghao) wears its influences on its sleeve but is a cool and sophisticated debut feature.
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