Watch at Home 06.20.2025

An Unfinished Film

Directed by Lou Ye
Film Movement
2024
105 Minutes
Singapore, Germany
Chinese
Drama, Asian
Not Rated
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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.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Lou Ye
  • Starring: Qin Hao
  • Starring: Mao Xiaorui
  • Starring: Qi Xi
  • Starring: Huang Xuan

Where to Watch

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "Limber and thought-provoking, An Unfinished Film is an absorbing portrait of an unfinished era."
    Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
  • "By entwining reality with dramatization to such an inseparable degree, “An Unfinished Film” runs the emotional gamut, with a pulsing naturalism that few films about the recent pandemic (or any real disasters) have ever managed to achieve."
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety
  • "Out of agony and chaos, Chinese film-maker Lou Ye has created something mysterious, moving and even profound.... This is an utterly unique and very important movie about Covid, the crisis that affected all of us."
    Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
  • "It is one of the most thoughtful, truthful and tactful depictions of the pandemic ever put to screen, eschewing easy categorization as it fully captures the event from ground level."
    Chase Hutchinson, The Wrap
  • "A fascinating formal hybrid that deals with censorship, COVID and civil courage. It’s the work of a group of fearless artists that gives you rare insights into the challenges faced by creatives in China today."
    Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Daily
  • "[A] poignant and uplifting tale about the Covid pandemic from a Chinese perspective."
    John Bleasdale, Next Best Picture
  • "Director Lou Ye delivers both a powerful rebuke of excessive state intervention into private lives, and a celebratory ode to the resilience of the masses."
    Clarence Tsui, South China Morning Post
  • "This is a return to form for one of the most talented, and least celebrated, of Chinese filmmakers working today, often at his own risk. "
    Mehdi Achouche, Asian Movie Pulse
  • "[A] riveting, highly inventive mid-career oeuvre masterstroke."
    Eric Lavallée, Ion Cinema
Winner
Best Narrative Feature
Golden Horse Awards
Winner
Best Director
Golden Horse Awards
Nominated
Golden Eye
Cannes Film Festival
Nominated
Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Editing
Golden Horse Awards
Official Selection
Toronto Int'l. Film Festival

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