An Unfinished Film
In early 2020, director Xiaorui is set to resume shooting in the city of Wuhan for a film he was unable to complete a decade earlier. At the time, the subject matter, gay love, was deemed too controversial. But now he is allowed to continue, and also with the same crew as then. The film is almost finished when rumours emerge about a mysterious, deadly virus: COVID-19. At first, no one takes these rumours too seriously, but soon turn out to be very serious. Some of the crew manage to get away in time, but most are too late; after a lockdown is declared, they are stuck in their hotel. The film remains unfinished.
Initially, the film appears to be a sarcastic commentary on the Chinese media, but once the virus sweeps around in all its ferocity, it takes on the character of a disturbing, almost apocalyptic story. Director Lou Ye shows how the traumatic circumstances and fear of infection hit his characters harder and harder.
