LOU YE | SINGAPORE, GERMANY | 2024 | 107 MIN | CHINESE
In 2019, film director Xiaorui and his friends unearth dated footage from a project deserted 10 years before. Inspired by this time capsule of their youthful aspirations, the discovery prompts the crew to reunite and see to the film’s completion. Fueled by pure nostalgia, the production gains steam outside of Wuhan, only to be halted by the global COVID-19 lockdown. Trapped in hotel rooms and relying on virtual communication, the escalating anxiety of global uncertainty begins to take its toll on the team. Although they wrestle with whether to continue, they remain determined to bring resolution to the characters of the queer story that they once abandoned, insisting the show must go on. With extraordinary care, director Lou Ye evokes the panic of a Paul Greengrass film while seamlessly blending fiction and reality in this touching narrative magnifying the volatility of life during lockdown through the lens of artists devoted to finishing what they’ve started.
Cast: Qin Hao, Mao Xiaorui, Qi Xi
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