When most movies begin by introducing characters and then providing their conflict, director Shipei Wen’s feature film debut, Are You Lonesome Tonight?, first presents an ethical problem and the film’s characters simply react, eventually sharing secrets that totally reframe the problem. Resentments, debts, and mysteries build upon the film’s slight frame, creating a larger-than-life story about an A/C repairman and a mourning wife. A neo-noir film with captivating camerawork and a playful sense of time that makes up for modest character building, Are You Lonesome Tonight? belongs in international and film noir DVD collections and makes a worthy, unique addition to any Noirvember screening series.
In a flashback to 1997, a distracted driver, Wang Xue-ming (Eddie Peng), drives down a country road and runs over someone. He realizes what he’s done and drives away, guilty of a hit-and-run. Fast forward, and a woman, Liang Ma (Sylvia Chang), puts up missing signs for her husband and files a missing persons case. Fast forward again, she identifies him at the morgue, the victim of Xue-ming. But wait! Rewind just a little and Xue-ming is an A/C repairman – as well as a thrill seeker who inserts himself into situations that could put him in danger - and Ma hires him to fix her broken air conditioner. First fueled by guilt, then affection and curiosity, they develop an inexplicable bond and confide in each other. The hit and run isn’t what it seems; neither was Ma’s marriage.
An excellent exercise in shifting ethics, time, and breaking the so-called “rules” of storytelling to keep the audience on their toes, Are You Lonesome Tonight? nails a suspenseful plot structure and beguiling style. The cinematography—like the best film noir, full of thoughtful shadows, but also vibrant oranges, greens, and reds—adds to the film’s feeling of claustrophobia and mystery. However, the film struggles to develop characters beyond what is needed to progress the plot. As one character asks, “So it was just about money?” I’d like to think not – I’d like to think that the characters have learned something, and have affected each other in ways unspoken. As Liang Ma muses, “The same man who ran over my husband might also be the one who saved my life.”
The film makes several stylistic choices that break the fourth wall, making Are You Lonesome Tonight? a uniquely Brechtian example of the neo-noir genre. Characters stare straight into the camera, there are occasional analog “rewinds” as the film travels in time, scenes are replayed from different perspectives, and light and camera movement are used creatively to suggest certain flashbacks. Nodding to film noir classic Out of the Past by using flashbacks to both create and reveal its twists, Are You Lonesome Tonight?’s stylish flourishes elevate a simple mystery, earning it a place in any film noir screening series or international DVD collection.
What kind of film series would Are You Lonesome Tonight fit in?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? would fit into a neo-noir film screening series, with recent movies such as Drive and Gemini. It also could contrast with more classic films in the film noir genre, such as Double Indemnity and the 1946 version of The Killers.
What type of library programming could use Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Libraries could use Are You Lonesome Tonight? in programming to celebrate Noirvember, incorporating classic and contemporary atmospheric crime movies, as well as mystery and crime novels by writers like Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane.
What type of college/university professors would find Are You Lonesome Tonight? valuable?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? could be valuable for film professors who want to showcase the international and modern influence of film noir tropes.