This film is at once easy and difficult to understand. Luo Hongwu's (Jue Huang) reveries of lost love form the basis of the plot, but the meandering nature of the picture can leave one frustrated and impatient. The various scenarios presented seemingly have no relation to each other, though they ultimately result in bridging an arc Luo traverses to locate someone from his past, resulting in new found love in the present. Much of the picture conveys a dream like quality, particularly in those instances relating to magic spells that transport Luo and Kaizhen mystically above a village. That the characters of Wan Qiwen and Kaizhen are both portrayed by actress Wei Tang is meant to add further ambiguity to an already dense cinematic treatment, and it's no surprise that the film was met with derision during it's much hailed general release to the Chinese public. Apparently there's little difference between Chinese and Western viewers who consider art house films to be for the snobbish elite who have a way of pretending there's substance in a film devoid of any. At least the story ended with a kiss and a sparkler in the night, which is what I aspire to on any given evening.
Review of Long Day's Journey Into Night
"One day she told me she was going for a walk. And she never came back."
28 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers