Long Day's Journey Into Night (2019)

Long Day's Journey Into Night (2019)

A neon-soaked noir that drifts deep into a dream world with jaw-dropping relish

7.6

Movie

China, France
Japanese, Mandarin
Drama, Mystery
2019
BI GAN
Bi Gan, Bi Yanmin, Chen Yongzhong
138 min

What it's about

Luo Hongwu returns to Kaili, the hometown from which he fled many years ago. He begins the search for the woman he loved and whom he has never been able to forget.

The take

A man returns to a town chasing the memory of a woman he loved years ago.

Poet turned filmmaker Bi Gan coats his idiosyncratic filmmaking with a thick layer of neo-noir in this sumptuous follow up to his remarkable debut Kaili Blues. This time around, Kaili City is a neon-drenched dreamscape dripping in style and calling to mind the work of Tarkovsky and Wong Kar-wai. 

He may wear his influences on his sleeve, but Bi Gan keeps his trademark moves like the bravado long takes and a poetic disregard for past and present, reality and dreams. This leads to an explosive and unforgettable sequence in the second half that while originally intended for 3D loses little of its mind-bending power when watched at home.

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

An Autumn’s Tale (1987)

Two Hong Kong immigrants find a new life, and a new love, in this New York-shot romantic drama

7.6

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Testament of Youth (2014)

A lovely, though fairly standard, memoir adaptation of the famous British pacifist

6.9

Hilary and Jackie (1998)

Two sisters, bound by music, is torn by genius and fame in this tragic, heartwrenching biopic

7.6

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

The Breaking Ice (2023)

Three lost souls find a warm connection in this wintry, delicate drama

7.0

Breaking the Waves (1996)

Lars von Trier breaks his rules in the tearjerking first film of the Golden Heart trilogy

8.1

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)

A cynical, but terribly honest portrait of the indignity of modern life

7.9

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.