Lost in the Stars (2023)

Lost in the Stars is a Mandarin thriller with twists you'll see coming and one you might not.

Directed by newcomer Rui Cui, and cinematographer Xiang Liu. Liu knows his cinematography very well while cherry Cui lets the viewer know he's relatively new with mistakes that will leave the average audience going "somethings off with this" and not really knowing what's wrong. It's the camera angles and quick cuts. I believe the quick cuts are intentional and this isn't a deep movie, its feelings are very much surface-level.

Yilong Zhu plays He Fei, a man who has lost his wife while on their anniversary trip to Southeast Asia. He is the most experienced actor and carries the film with his performance. By the end of the film, you'll understand the depths Zhu has in his acting. He hasn't done much, if anything, that would be considered American, but he's been working since 2010.

Janice Man is the femme fatal in this film. She plays the beautiful but also fake Li Muzi who has replaced He Fei's actual wife. It's not a spoiler as it's in the trailer and that's only within the first five minutes of the film. She's gorgeous, cunning, and dastardly.

The film has problems with its writing as the ending doesn't land. It's totally unbelievable. The acting shines, but the direction doesn't. The cinematography is also on point but most audience goers won't even notice. This is just an okay movie. C+

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