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Although some voices, particularly from Europe, continue to claim that Asian genre cinema is in decline, the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) once again proves that with a bit of deeper digging (or simply good programming), the gems are still very much there—often beyond the reach of European co-productions.

Despite the recent regression in output from Korean cinema, the 2025 lineup was once again impressive, featuring several high-quality entries, even from Korea. Japan maintained a strong presence, but it is arguably Southeast Asia that continues to steal the spotlight, with both indie films and star-driven productions commanding attention.

Among the standouts this year were Japan’s “How Dare You?“, Korea’s “Forbidden Fairytale“, Taiwan’s “Family Matters”, and Thailand’s “Panor“. Together, they reflect the strength and diversity of a truly excellent program, one that reaffirms Nyaff’s place as the most important Asian film festival in the West.

Jonathan Li and Man Yu Chow team up two years after “Dust to Dust” to helm One Cool Group’s initial offering, “Behind the Shadows”, after expanding into Malaysia. Appearing on screen is the group’s founder, the actor Louis Koo, who crawls through the Kuala Lumpur cityscape chasing a murderer in the wild. Li and Chow try to freshen up the genre by attempting a more psychological approach, but they seem to walk on eggshells in this new territory.

Behind the Shadows is screening at New York Asian Film Festival

Koo plays a private investigator named Ai Yeung Wai Yip who is mostly handling cases involving establishing evidence for divorce, investigating adulterous partners, and looking for missing persons. He was once a famed sleuth in Hong Kong who transferred to Malaysia to be with his wife Sum (Chrissie Chau). Much of this backdrop is dropped in conversation between the couple.

A detective thriller draped in marital drama, Behind the Shadows unfolds amid Kuala Lumpur’s humid streets and dimly lit backrooms. Au Yeung Wai-yip (Louis Koo) operates a smoke-filled Pi agency, hired to expose unfaithful partners—only to discover his own wife, Kuan Weng Sam (Chrissie Chau), at the heart of his latest adultery case. Co-directors Jonathan Li and Chou Man-yu, reunited after Dust to Dust, steer clear of pure puzzle-solving in favor of the intimate fissures beneath each revelation.

The film’s pulse alternates between furtive stakeouts and charged domestic confrontations, its humid atmosphere and shifting loyalties setting a tone of relentless unease. As an exploration of trust and betrayal, the story pivots on that first tremor—Au’s dawning realization that professional detachment cannot shield him from personal upheaval.

Unraveling Threads

Three distinct assignments kick off the narrative: a missing-person inquiry, a gangster’s suspicion of his moll,...