Lost in the Stars (2023) Movie Review

Last week, CGV held a special screening of Chinese films whose presence Cineverse had been eyeing since last month. Unexpectedly, this film, which had occupied the box office in its home country for 2 weeks in a row, was finally able to enter Indonesia officially.

The film entitled Lost in the Stars is indeed very interesting. This film is based on the drama “Trap for a Lonely Man” by Robert Thomas in 1960, which was later made into a 1990 film with the same title directed by Alexei Korenev.

The plot is simple, namely a husband who loses his wife while on vacation, and shortly after his wife is found, the husband doesn’t even recognize his “wife”. And from here the story unfolds very skillfully with a series of flashbacks and twists that will amaze those of us who watch this film.

Lost in the Stars (2023) Synopsis

A husband and wife, He Fei (Yilong Zhu) and his wife Li Muzi (Janice Man), are having an intimate vacation at a resort, suddenly shocked by an unexpected incident. He Fei realized that his wife had disappeared.

He Fei was so desperate that he asked for help at the police station, who ignored his statement. He looked everywhere, until the next day when he woke up, he found his ‘wife’ sleeping next to him. He Fei was hysterical and questioned who the woman who was claiming to be his wife was. He even called the police to come check the hotel.

This woman, (Janice Man) insisted that she was He Fei’s wife, and when she asked the police for help, she was able to prove her identity with videos, photos, passport data, physical characteristics, and friends who corroborated her story.

Until the police now consider He Fei crazy because of his excessive behavior towards his ‘wife’. At this time of confusion, a reliable lawyer who never loses a case arrives, Chen Mai (Ni Ni) who decides to help He Fei.

The deeper he digs into He Fei’s information, the more complicated and confusing the case he faces becomes for Chen Mai. He felt that He Fei was hiding something and was not being honest with him. Until finally, Chen Mai found out who the woman who claimed to be He Fei’s wife really was and where her wife had gone during her disappearance.

Lost in the Stars (2023) Movie Review

The plot twist is winding and layered

Watching this film briefly reminds us of the film Gone Girl (2014), directed by David Fincher, and starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. However, after watching Lost in the Stars , this film has its own unique and sad story at the end.

Each character has its own role and is explained through exposition that is easy for the audience to understand. Indeed, the narrative is a bit convoluted, but overall this film can be said to be very good.

The multi-layered twist will make us wonder who was at fault in the disappearance of He Fei’s wife, and this question will be answered 15 minutes before the final conclusion.

The acting of the main character is very impressive

Yilong Zhu, who plays He Fei, is truly extraordinary in his acting in this film. His totality in Lost in the Stars is beyond Cineverse’s expectations, and what the actor who has won many awards throughout his career, especially in his last film, Lighting Up the Stars (2023), deserves more praise.

His facial character, which always changes in various scenes, will amaze us to see it, and at the end of the conclusion, the facial changes he shows are getting worse, and we don’t see the real Yilong Zhu. Similar to what James McAvoy showed in Split (2016).

The technical elements are above average

Lost in the Stars was produced with above average technical elements, especially the narrative which is deep and full of intrigue and mystery throughout the film. The soundtrack also ‘sells’, and is placed in several important scenes of the film.

The film poster itself is rather unique, set against the backdrop of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous painting, The Starry Night , whose presence is He Fei’s entry point when he gets to know his wife. A beautiful moment that connects the introductory scene as well as the very sad climax. The suitability of the title with its contents does describe this film as a whole.

skillfully with a series of flashbacks and twists that will amaze those of us who watch this film.

Lost in the Stars (2023) Conclusion

This film by Rui Cui and Xiang Liu really deserves to be mandatory viewing for quality film connoisseurs. All aspects are taken seriously, especially the narrative and scoring. For you fans of the whodunit subgenre , this film deserves to be watched before the screening of A Haunting in Venice in the third week of September 2023.

For those of us who are new to it, Lost in the Stars will entertain us through its story which is full of intrigue and mystery, as well as the acting of its main character which will keep us on the bench until the last minute.