Êtes-vous seul ce soir?

Sometimes things are in your way ... and those things make you do other things - I reckon if one thinks of butterfly effect it would be an apt description. One thing leads to another. In this case it is a cow laying on the road - our main character has to take a detour ... and that kicks everything off - no pun intended.

While that seems quite straightforward, the movie itself also does take a few detours ... or revisits scenes (like the one with the cow, to reveal new information for us the viewers). The slow pace may not be everyones cup of tea, but it is very well done. A thriller with heart and quite the unique characters in it. And while a lot of questions are answered, many more will be left up to the imagination of the viewer ... the slow pace does not mean, that this is not action loaded by the way! Quite a few scenes in this, that take the drama into quite the violent turn ...

Eddie Peng perhaps saw the film as an opportunity to go indie and nab himself an award. While Are You Lonesome Tonight does deliver in terms of mood and vibe, it doesn't have a true identity to make the film memorable. Eddie's character's motive seems forced while the rest of the cast is poorly developed. Does guilt really make one do all those things? What is his own background for him to feel this way? These questions could have been answered for a better story. The last 20 or 30 minutes of the film involving the killer also feels like a leap from the rest.

If you have to compare, your personal impression is lower than Earth and better than south station. Weak in a little, better than not flattering. Seeing the creativity of a new director and the pursuit of audio-visual expression (of course, the escort of high-quality team is very important), it is destined to become the most artistic film in the "bad monkey 72 change" plan so far, and it is also highly recognized in Cannes. I like the seemingly careless little humor in the film (probably from producer Ning Hao) and the moist and hazy feelings between Peng Yuyan and Zhang Aijia, but this emotion lacks sparks in the plot presentation and performance, so it doesn't seem to matter why their ending is in the end. The element of crime suspense is not the focus, and may be more suitable for positioning as a psychological exploration film. On the whole, the Director Wen Shipei deserves attention.