Direction: Wen Shipei
Country: China
Are You Lonesome Tonight? is a slow-paced but stylish debut effort from director Wen Shipei, who was partially inspired by his father, a small-time criminal in the 1990s. A mood piece with haunting visuals that stands between the poignant drama and the neo-noir crime thriller.
The story - co-written by Shipei, Wang Yinuo, Zhao Binghao, and Noé Dodson - follows Wang Xueming (Eddie Peng), an air-conditioner technician who accidentally runs over a man on a dark summer night. His first instinct was to flee due to panic but guilt and remorse makes him connect with the victim’s widower, Mrs. Liang (Sylvia Chang). To his surprise, he finds her not sad at all but enjoying the time for herself.
Sometimes off-beat, this slice of crafty sleuthing shelters more surprises in the form of twists, which can transpire from hazy flashbacks or sharp realities. The immersive first part, even carrying clumsy fighting scenes, was better than the second, which revealed weaknesses. Yet, the film captivates with an appropriate use of light and tone, intermittently recalling the cinema of Wong Kar-wai (dark alleys illuminated by red lights), Edward Yang (Elvis Presley song "Are You Lonesome Tonight?” is a staple of his A Bright Summer Day) and Tsai Ming Liang (the constant pouring rain and a sense of desolation), but there’s no minimalism in the storytelling.
Nonetheless, at the core, the way both portions of humor and plot spins are infused sets this work apart from those master filmmakers.
