By / MOOK Scenic Editorials compiled and reported
Directed by Lu Chuan and shot by Dujie, who has been nominated twice for Best Cinematography at the Golden Horse Awards, The Waning of the Light showcases the director Cheng Er’s unique and intense style, setting a new benchmark for the wave of auteur-driven commercial films in Chinese cinema. The three main characters—Ge You, Tadanobu Asano, and Zhang Ziyi—deliver powerful performances for the up-and-coming director Cheng Er. In particular, Ge You, an accomplished actor known for his roles as an “everyman” and a frequent collaborator of award-winning director Feng Xiaogang, breaks away from his familiar persona to play a stern and ruthless gang leader in The Waning of the Light, surprising audiences with his compelling portrayal.
The Waning of the Light movie still. (Image provided by Jia Shang)
The Waning of the Light movie still. (Image provided by Jia Shang)
The film is set in 1930s Shanghai, during a time of turbulence and glamour. Beneath the city’s dazzling surface, crime families quietly controlled the lifeblood of the international settlement. A web of characters—including a gang patriarch, a Japanese brother-in-law, a socialite, a movie star, an assassin, a butler, a concubine, and a lackey—intertwine in a complex human network, while repressed desires simmer beneath the surface.
The Waning of the Light movie still. (Image provided by Jia Shang)
On the eve of war, the gang patriarch and a Japanese military leader engage in a covert power struggle for control of Shanghai. With tensions rising and everyone on edge, the situation threatens to explode. An investment deal at a bank ignites a violent gang war, further entangling the web of desires, where love and hate, life and death, loyalty and vengeance all collide. Amid the chaos of war, secrets long buried are slowly uncovered...
The Waning of the Light movie poster. (Image provided by Jia Shang)
[Info]
The Waning of the Light
Director: Cheng Er
Cast: Du Chun, Gillian Chung, Ni Dahong, Zhao Baogang, Yuan Quan, Yan Ni, Han Geng
Cinematography: Dujie
Release Date: May 19, 2017
Distributor: Jia Shang