Are You Lonesome Tonight? (film) explained

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Director:Wen Shipei
Music:Hank Lee
Studio:Dirty Monkeys Studios
Runtime:95 minutes
Country:China
Language:Chinese
Gross:US$6.9 million

Are You Lonesome Tonight? ([1]) is a 2021 Chinese neo-noir[2] [3] film directed by Wen Shipei and starring Eddie Peng and Sylvia Chang.[4] [5] [6]

Plot

In 1997, an air conditioner repairman accidentally hits a man with his car late at night and decides to cover it up. He later meets the victim's widow and befriends her. A police detective investigates the case when the body is found riddled with bullets.

Cast

Production

This was director Wen Shipei's first feature-length film,[7] after having previously directed two short films in 2015 and 2016. The basis for the film came from a pitch at the 2017 Shanghai International Film Festival.[8] Shipei has said that the story was inspired by his father, who was a petty criminal in the 1990s.[9] The film takes its English-language title from the song "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" which appears in the film,[10] [11] whereas the Chinese-language title translates as "Tropical Memories".

Release

The film was released theatrically in China on June 21, 2021. The film was shown at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.

Box office

The film grossed in theaters.[12]

Critical reception

[13] Several critics compared the film to the works of director Wong Kar-wai.[14] [15] Bobby Lepire, writing for Film Threat, compared the visual style of the film to Blade Runner.

Accolades

The film was nominated for a Caméra d'Or at Cannes and received an audience award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021) . 2023-04-05 . MUBI.
  2. Web site: Fulvi . Giovanna . Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . . en.
  3. Web site: Myers . Randy . 2023-03-22 . What to watch: New Great Expectations lives up to its literary legend . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329172658/https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/22/what-to-watch-new-great-expectations-lives-up-to-its-literary-legend/ . 2023-03-29 . 2023-04-05 . . en-US.
  4. News: Considine . Austin . 2023-03-16 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? Review: Hit and Run, Sleight of Hand . en-US . . live . 2023-04-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230325074329/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/movies/are-you-lonesome-tonight-review.html . 2023-03-25 . 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: Kurz . Joachim . Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021) . 2023-04-05 . www.kino-zeit.de . de.
  6. Web site: Cameron . Jack . 2021-07-16 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Cannes 2021 Review . 2023-04-05 . One Room With A View . en-GB.
  7. Web site: LePire . Bobby . 2023-03-16 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . . en-US.
  8. Web site: Berra . John . 2021-07-11 . Are You Lonesome Tonight?: Cannes Review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327231734/https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/are-you-lonesome-tonight-cannes-review/5161069.article . 2023-03-27 . 2023-04-05 . . en.
  9. Web site: Freitas . Filipe . 2023-03-21 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2023) . 2023-04-05 . Always Good Movies . en-US.
  10. Web site: Moore . Roger . 2023-03-09 . Movie Review: A Chinese Inmate Remembers why he's in Prison — Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . Movie Nation . en.
  11. Web site: Bell . Nicholas . 2021-07-11 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? 2021 Cannes Film Festival Review . 2023-04-05 . IONCINEMA.com . en-US.
  12. Web site: Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . Box Office Mojo.
  13. Web site: Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . . en.
  14. Web site: Wagner . Robert . 2022-01-27 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Kritik . 2023-04-05 . critic.de . de.
  15. Web site: Eger . Madeleine . 2022-01-24 . Are You Lonesome Tonight? . 2023-04-05 . Film-Rezensionen.de . de-DE.
  16. Web site: Kay . Jeremy . 2022-09-10 . Wen Shipei’s Cannes title ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ secures US deal (exclusive) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317080318/https://www.screendaily.com/news/wen-shipeis-cannes-title-are-you-lonesome-tonight-secures-us-deal-exclusive/5174328.article . 2023-03-17 . 2023-04-05 . . en.