Long Day's Journey Into Night 2019

As Luo Hongwu lies beside a prostitute in a post-coital haze, his mind is consumed by the enigmatic presence of a woman who vanished into thin air. This tantalizing mystery serves as the launching pad for a non-linear narrative that defies easy comprehension, unfolding through a series of disorienting vignettes that gradually reveal the intricacies of Luo’s troubled past.

Luo’s hometown of Kaili holds secrets and scars, where he grew up alongside his friend Wildcat. Their fateful decision to partner with gangster Zuo Hongyuan in a scheme to smuggle guns proves disastrous when Wildcat is brutally murdered for failure to deliver. The revelation of this tragic event sets Luo on a quest for vengeance, tracing the threads that connect him to organized crime through his role as a casino manager.

Luo’s pursuit of justice leads him to Wan Qiwen, Zuo’s enigmatic girlfriend with a penchant for cat burglary. Her tale of high-stakes thievery and poetry-fueled chaos unfolds through a series of fragmented scenes, where she and her accomplice are distracted by the hypnotic allure of a mysterious green book. The book becomes an unlikely catalyst for their passion, which Luo discovers when he finds Wan on a train – their initial confrontation giving way to a fiery romance.

Wan’s influence prompts Luo to exact his revenge upon Zuo in a movie theatre, but her sudden disappearance leaves him reeling. Years later, as Luo returns to Kaili for his father’s funeral, the clock that once hung in his family’s restaurant holds a cryptic phone number – one that proves disconnected. A chance encounter with Wan’s former partner behind bars uncovers the story of their ill-fated heist and hints at the special bond between Wan and the green book. As Luo delves deeper into the mystery, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, leaving him forever changed by the enigmatic presence that haunts his every waking moment – the memory of a woman who vanished like smoke on the wind.

As Luo’s journey unfolds, he finds himself in a desolate town, where the faded remnants of Wan’s presence linger, eerily juxtaposed with the seedy allure of a strip joint. A seductive stranger approaches him, but Luo rebuffs her advances, his attention fixated on the prospect of encountering Wan. The prostitute’s parting advice is to wait patiently at the local cinema until the strip club opens its doors, and it is there that the audience is invited to don their 3D glasses, a signal that the boundaries between reality and fantasy are about to blur.

The subsequent sequence is an unbroken, mesmerizing 59-minute odyssey in 3D, leaving audiences questioning whether they have merely witnessed Luo’s vivid dream or been transported into his surreal reality. As the journey unfolds, Luo finds himself standing on a railway track within an abandoned mine, claiming to have arrived there by following a path that emerged from the cinema. A rickety handcart whisks him away to a small office, where a precocious preteen challenges him to a game of ping-pong, offering his assistance in finding a way out of the labyrinthine tunnels in exchange for a demonstration of Luo’s skills.

Luo effortlessly dispatches the youngster with a dazzling spin serve, earning the boy’s admiration and a gift - the magical paddle that supposedly grants its wielder the power of flight. As they navigate the mine’s twisting corridors on a scooter, the boy deposits Luo at a mountain village, where he is greeted by Kaizhen, a charismatic proprietress clad in a crimson jacket, whose resemblance to Wan is uncanny yet ultimately misleading.

The paddle becomes an integral tool, guiding them through the village square as they converge with the traveling karaoke show that has unexpectedly arrived. It is here that Luo encounters Wildcat’s mother, her fiery locks a testament to her rebellious spirit, and she is forcibly extracted from the clutches of her faithless lover by Luo’s unyielding determination.

As the night wears on, Luo and Kaizhen ignite a sparkler, their hands intertwined as they meander through the deserted streets, leaving behind a burning ember that remains lit until the very end.