January 2020. A film crew reunites near Wuhan to resume the shooting of a film halted ten years earlier, only to share the unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
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Director Lou Ye began An Unfinished Film with unused footage from his 2009 feature Spring Fever. His original plan was to craft a new film from that material, but the outbreak of COVID-19 interrupted the process. What emerged instead was An Unfinished Film, where actors in footages from a decade ago, including lead actor Qin Hao return to the current timeline. The film also includes footage from the early days of the pandemic in 2020 with subtitles attached. The film feels like an amalgamation of fiction and documentary as it features footages shot by many people during the pandemic. True to his confrontational style—seen previously in Summer Palace (2006) that tackled the Tiananmen Square incident—this film portrays the government's pandemic response as violent and chaotic. In contrast, the film also depicts scenes of camaraderie: cast and crew, isolated in hotel rooms, sharing video calls and celebrating the New Year's together. Perhaps, if this intimate, democratic energy only remains confined to private spaces and not expand to greater dimensions, this film will forever remain unfinished for Lou. (MOON Seok)
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Essential Films | festivals@coproductionoffice.eu
LOU Ye
