In 2013, after a riot in a redevelopment district in Guangzhou, the Construction Committee Director Tang Yijie (Zhang Songwen) is found murdered. A young police detective Yang Jiadong (Jing Boran) is tasked with the investigation and soon discovers the involvement of the town´s real estate tycoon Jiang Zicheng (Qin Hao), Tang’s long-suffering wife Lin (Song Jia) who also turns out to be Jiang’s lover, and Tang’s daughter Xiaonuo (Ma Sichun). A cold case from several years ago concerning the mysterious disappearance of Lian Ahyun (Michelle Chen), who was known to Tang and Jiang, seems to be the missing link. Soon Yang finds himself framed, suspended from duty and on the run in Hong Kong…
A 2018 Chinese crime mystery directed by Lou Ye who is renowned for his controversial movies Suzhou River (2000) and Summer Palace (2006). The Shadow Play made its world premiere at the 58th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in 2018. The movie was also screened in the Panorama section at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. It was released theatrically on April 4, 2019 in China.
Theatrical release in Japan is scheduled for January 20, 2021 and a “complete version” will be screened with about 5 minutes of scenes cut due to censorship.
Film review: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2019/02/film-review-the-shadow-play-2018-by-ye-lou/
