Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Chinese热带往事
Directed byWen Shipei
Written by
  • Zhao Binghao
  • Wang Yinuo
  • Wen Shipei
  • Noé Dodson
Produced by
  • Hu Jingxuan
  • Wang Jing
Starring
Cinematography
  • Andreas Thalhammer
  • Xiaosu Han
  • Cedric Cheung-Lau
  • Zhang Heng
Edited by
  • Zhu Lin
  • Will Wei
  • Dong Jie
  • Noé Dodson
  • Cao Hangchen
Music byHank Lee
Production
company
Dirty Monkeys Studios
Release date
  • June 21, 2021 (2021-June-21) (China)[1]
Running time
95 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageChinese
Box officeUS$6.9 million[2]

Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Chinese: 热带往事[3]) is a 2021 Chinese neo-noir[4][5] film directed by Wen Shipei and starring Eddie Peng and Sylvia Chang.[6][7][8]

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,[9] after having previously directed two short films in 2015 and 2016.[7] The basis for the film came from a pitch at the 2017 Shanghai International Film Festival.[1] Shipei has said that the story was inspired by his father, who was a petty criminal in the 1990s.[7][10] The film takes its English-language title from the song "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" which appears in the film,[11][12] whereas the Chinese-language title translates as "Tropical Memories".[1]

Release

The film was released theatrically in China on June 21, 2021.[1] The film was shown at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.[4][1]

Box office

The film grossed US$6.9 million in theaters.[2]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.90/10.[13] Several critics compared the film to the works of director Wong Kar-wai.[8][10][12][14][15] Bobby Lepire, writing for Film Threat, compared the visual style of the film to Blade Runner.[9]

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]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Berra, John (2021-07-11). "Are You Lonesome Tonight?: Cannes Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  2. 1 2 "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. "Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021)". MUBI. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  4. 1 2 Fulvi, Giovanna. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  5. Myers, Randy (2023-03-22). "What to watch: New Great Expectations lives up to its literary legend". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  6. Considine, Austin (2023-03-16). "Are You Lonesome Tonight? Review: Hit and Run, Sleight of Hand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  7. 1 2 3 Kurz, Joachim. "Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2021)". www.kino-zeit.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  8. 1 2 Cameron, Jack (2021-07-16). "Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Cannes 2021 Review". One Room With A View. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  9. 1 2 LePire, Bobby (2023-03-16). "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Film Threat. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  10. 1 2 Freitas, Filipe (2023-03-21). "Are You Lonesome Tonight? (2023)". Always Good Movies. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  11. Moore, Roger (2023-03-09). "Movie Review: A Chinese Inmate Remembers why he's in Prison — Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Movie Nation. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  12. 1 2 Bell, Nicholas (2021-07-11). "Are You Lonesome Tonight? | 2021 Cannes Film Festival Review". IONCINEMA.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  13. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  14. Wagner, Robert (2022-01-27). "Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Kritik". critic.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  15. Eger, Madeleine (2022-01-24). "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". Film-Rezensionen.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  16. Kay, Jeremy (2022-09-10). "Wen Shipei's Cannes title 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' secures US deal (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
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