It has been a very long while since last time I 'wowed' a suspense movie, and I am so glad the wait is over. Lost in the Stars takes suspense to the extreme, and even beyond. No matter if you guess it right or not, you will enjoy the process of finding the answer - isn't that suspense all about? With that said, Lost in the Stars has many a twists that lead to a surprise for closure.
The movie started with a missing person case, the wife of the lead character, He Fei (Zhu Yilong), vanished into thin air, during their trip to southeast Asia. He Fei desperately tried to find his wife, and suffered dearly, only to face a stranger (Janice Man) who insisted being his wife. He Fei found himself entangled in a web of plots and conspiracies, or did he really? Of course, there was a second as beautiful woman, Chen Mai (Ni Ni), who was capable of everything, came to rescue, or did she really? So, fasten your seatbelt and you will need it. There will be ups and downs, twists and turns.
Director/producer Chen Sicheng, known for his suspense crime movies, such as Sheep Without a Shepherd, brought forth another classic. For a story following a main character, we have a 50-50 chance of getting it right, for he is most likely either 'innocent' or 'bad'. However, this suspense dug into something deeper than that, taking a serious look at human nature and relationships.
We are often under the impression that suspense movies are mostly 'commercially oriented', acting may not be their 'big thing'. Well, not necessarily. Looking back there were plenty of award-worthy/winning performances in history, just to name a few, Edward Norton in Primal Fear, Kevin Spacey in the Usual Suspect, Nicole Kidman in the Others... - I know, it has been a good while. Again, I am glad the wait is over. For people who know a little bit about Zhu Yilong, you may remember his leading role in Un Certain Regard selected Only the River Flows at Canne Film Festival that just wrapped. It is safe to say he only chooses 'acting-worthy' or 'acting-challenging' characters. He Fei is no exception, if not an 'extreme'. There are many faces of the character, where he was a loving husband, an abused tourist, a doubtful client, a person with a neural disorder, and more, or was he really any of the above? Zhu Yilong gave a convincing performance, not only fully developed, but also multiple layered, for each face this guy had. There was a very difficult facial twitch that likely will be symbolic (you can try to see how difficult it is), however that's only the surface. Human nature's complexity was portrayed with depth and power, that leaves the audience to ponder and reflect.
No matter you are just in for a good thrill, or you look for inspiration and thought provoking complexities, you will enjoy this ride.
