"With bitter irony seething in his blend of kinetic camerawork and silky black-and-white tones, Lou borrows the form of historical drama to expose the corruption and the terror of a modern surveillance state." - Richard Brody, New Yorker
"This is a welcome return for Gong Li as an actress and another reminder that Lou continues to be one of China's most talented filmmakers." - Wilson Kwong, VCinema
1941. Since the Japanese occupation, China has become a wartime intelligence battlefield for the Allies and the Axis Powers. Iconic actress Jean Yu returns to Shanghai, ostensibly to appear in the play “Saturday Fiction” directed by her former lover. But what is her true aim? To free her ex-husband? To gather intelligence for the Allied Forces? To work for her adoptive father? Or to escape from war with her lover? As she embarks on her mission, with friends ever more difficult to distinguish from undercover agents, as everything spirals out of control, Jean Yu starts to question whether to reveal what she has learned about in the imminent Pearl Harbor attack. (Strand Releasing)
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Best Director, Gijón International Film Festival
Nominee - Gold Lion, Venice Film Festival
Official Selection - Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, New York Film Festival
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