Review: ‘Lost in the Stars’ (2023), starring Zhu Yilong, Janice Man, Du Jiang, Ni Ni and Huang Ziqi

July 13, 2023

by Carla Hay

Zhu Yilong and Janice Man in “Lost in the Stars” (Photo courtesy of CMC Pictures)

“Lost in the Stars” (2023)

Directed by Rui Cui and Xiang Liu

Mandarin with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place on the fictional Asian island country of Balandia, the dramatic film “Lost in the Stars” (based on the play and movie “Trap for a Lonely Man”) features an nearly all-Asian cast of characters (with one white person) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: While on an anniversary trip with his wife, a man finds her missing and another woman insisting that she is his wife.

Culture Audience: “Lost in the Stars” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching unpredictable mysteries.

Ni Ni in “Lost in the Stars” (Photo courtesy of CMC Pictures)

“Lost in the Stars” is a stylish and twist-filled thriller that delivers an appealing combination of suspense and plausible acting. What isn’t so believable is a certain aspect of this conspiracy story, but most of the movie is better than its flaws. It’s the type of movie that will keep viewers guessing until the last 15 minute when secrets are revealed.

Directed by Rui Cui and Xiang Liu, “Lost in the Stars” is based on Robert Thomas’ 1960 play “Trap for a Lonely Man,” which was then made into the director Alexey Korenev’s 1990 movie of the same name. Chen Sicheng, Gu Shuyi and Yin Yixiong wrote the adapted screenplay for “Lost in the Stars,” which takes place mostly on the fictional Asian island of Balandia. There are also several flashbacks that take place in China, the native country of the main characters in the story.

He Fei (played by Zhu Yilong) is a former scuba diving instructor who is on a wedding anniversary vacation with his wife Li Muzi (played by Huang Ziqi, also known as Kay Huang) in Balandia. Things seems to be gong well during this romantic getaway. But then, not long after Fei and Muzi arrive in Balandia, Muzi disappears. A glamorous-looking stranger (played by Ni Ni) then appears in the couple’s hotel room and claims to be Muzi.

Fei calls the local police to report this bizarre situation. Zheng Cheng (played by Du Jiang), the police officer who arrives to investigate, is skeptical, to say the least. The woman whom Fei claims is impersonating his wife has photo IDs and other things that she offers as proof that she is Muzi. Fei’s credibility is further called into question when surveillance video from a local bookstore shows that the woman who says she’s Muzi is shown with Fei on the day before Fei says Muzi disappeared.

The woman who says that she is Fei’s wife tells Officer Zheng that Fei has a tendency to be forgetful. She also says that Fei can be abusive. Fei denies it all and insists that the woman who’s claiming to be his wife is the one who’s lying. However, several hotel employees and other eyewitnesses back up the woman’s claims.

The plot gets a little shaky when Fei calls someone in China to ask that person to email photos of the real Muzi. There’s a rushed explanation that the WiFi service is unreliable on this island, so the email doesn’t arrive. The local police are satisfied with the eyewitness statements that the woman claiming to be Muzi is the same woman they saw with Fei the day before Fei claims that Muzi disappeared.

Fei is very disturbed by the woman claiming to be Muzi. She knows a lot about Muzi and has seemingly taken over her identity. Fei isn’t willing to give up so easily in proving that he’s telling the truth. At a bar, he is told about a “hotshot attorney” who might be able to help him.

The attorney’s name is Chen Mi (played by Janice Man), who is intelligent and has a no-nonsense attitude. Mi agrees to help Fei investigate and find out what happened to Muzi. The rest of the movie is a race against time to solve the mystery before Fei’s visitor visa expires.

As Fei and Mi begin to get to know each other better, Fei opens up to her about how he and Muzi met (she was a student taking scuba diving lessons from him) and their whirlwind courtship. Of course, viewers will keep wondering why this mystery woman is impersonating Muzi, or if it’s all just a delusion from Fei. Zhu and Man give the standout performances in “Lost in the Stars,” as Fei and Mi start off having a prickly relationship that appears to turn into gradual respect.

“Lost in the Stars” has definite influences from Alfred Hitchcock films, in terms of cinematography and pacing. However, parts of the story get too convoluted and hard to believe. The big “reveal” at the end is meant to be shocking, but it just raises more questions that the movie never answers. Even with this shortcoming, there are more than enough entertaining aspects of “Lost in the Stars” that should satisfy people who like watching mysteries that don’t follow the usual formulas.

CMC Pictures released “Lost in the Stars” in select U.S. cinemas on July 7, 2023. The movie was released in China on June 23, 2023.

SK-II recruits Chloe Grace Moretz and other stars for #Bare Skin Project

June 8, 2018

Chloe Grace Moretz for SK-II Bare Skin Project
Chloe Grace Moretz for #SK-II Bare Skin Project (Photo courtesy of SK-II)

The following is a press release from SK-II:

In a world where nearly half of all women believe they must wear makeup to feel beautiful and confident,1 prestige skincare brand SK-II makes a bold affirmation to the beauty of bare skin in its latest campaign—the #BareSkinProject. This statement-making movement turns the spotlight on six global celebrities who have boldly taken on the challenge to reveal their bare skin for the first time with the help of SK-II’s signature Facial Treatment Essence.

The #BareSkinProject’s first endeavor, a photoshoot by world renown photographers from Magnum Photos, features SK-II’s six celebrity muses–Chloe Moretz, Chun Xia, Kasumi Arimura, Mayu Matsuoka, Ni Ni and Tang Wei in a bold and unfiltered light.

To offer the most authentic vision of bare skin beauty, all six celebrities were photographed with no makeup on their skin by photographers Christopher Anderson, Alessandra Sanguinetti and Jim Goldberg. There was also no skin retouching for all photos in the #BareSkinProject.

“It’s still unconventional to see female celebrities photographed bare skin and through the #BareSkinProject, we hope to provide a different point of view, said Sandeep Seth, CEO, Global SK-II.  “We are proud to partner with six brave personalities who share the same goal. We hope their authentic journeys with Facial Treatment Essence will inspire women all over the world to embrace their natural bare skin beauty.

The celebrities rallied together in a resounding show of support for the movement. “It was so refreshing to hear about a campaign that aims to embrace women’s natural beauty and spark a movement of authenticity and confidence,said American actress Chloe Moretz.  “I knew that this was a perfect fit for me and what I represent.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhDXE3_AkI

As part of the campaign, SK-II will also launch short films that intimately document each celebrity’s personal journey with Magnum Photos. They will be revealing their bare skin and showcasing their unique skin journey with Facial Treatment Essence.  Chloe’s film will launch on June 29 on YouTube and SK-II.com.

“Our goal was to capture authentic emotions as they went through their journeys,” said directors Virgile Textier and Guillaume Cagniard from HOSSEGOR. “Although each journey is unique, they each went through similar emotions of doubt, excitement, boldness and pride. It’s beautiful to see it all unfold.”

For more information and to see exclusive #BareSkinProject content, visit the #BareSkinProject online exhibition on SK-II’s Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/skii or visit https://www.sk-ii.com/bareskin.html.

About SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
Since the discovery of Pitera™ more than 37 years ago, SK-II’s iconic bestseller Facial Treatment Essence has helped millions of women around the world achieve crystal clear skin. SK-II’s signature ingredient Pitera™ is a bio-ingredient containing over 50 micro-nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and organic acids. Pitera™ helps condition skin, lock in moisture from within over time and soothes skin concerns caused by external aggressors such as UV and pollution. Formulated with over 90% Pitera™, SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence helps transform skin to beautiful bare skin– reducing the appearance of wrinkles, giving a more refined skin texture, leaving less visible spots, improving firmness and elevating radiance.

About SK-II 
For more than 35 years, SK-II has touched the lives of millions of women around the world by helping them to #ChangeDestiny through the miracle of crystal clear skin. The fascinating story behind SK-II begins at a sake brewery in Japan, where scientists noticed the elderly workers had wrinkled faces, but extraordinarily soft and younger-looking hands. A rigorous search of more than 350 kinds of yeast was conducted before SK-II’s researchers discovered the unique yeast strain from which Pitera is naturally derived. Pitera, exclusive to SK-II, is the cornerstone of the brand and transforms the five dimensions of skin – texture, radiance, firmness, spot control and wrinkle resilience – that lead to crystal clear skin. A leading skin care brand in Asia for years, SK-II is now becoming a beauty must-have in the U.S. with its best-selling and award-winning Facial Treatment Essence, Facial Treatment Mask and GenOptics Aura Essence serum.

For the latest news and in-depth information, please visit http://www.sk-ii.com/.

1The Renfrew Center, 2012. Available from: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexis-sclamberg/makeup_b_1291785.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts_z3EiBkWI

“It was so refreshing to hear about a campaign that aims to embrace women’s natural beauty and spark a movement of authenticity and confidence. I knew that this was a perfect fit for me and what I represent.” Chloe Grace Moretz

“From where I come from, healthy bare skin is a big trend but most of the time, these bare skin photos are still enhanced by “a natural make up look”. With the #BareSkinProject, I want to show my sincerity to my audience and fans and present my most natural self in bare skin.” – Chun Xia

“For me, wearing make up is like “turning my switch on for work” and there is a pressure to always wear make up on set.  With the #BareSkinProject, I took on the challenge of going for my first photoshoot with no makeup on my skin at all – just skin care. Preparing with Facial Treatment Essence for this shoot gave me confidence. My skin condition has improved and with my clear skin I was able to stand in front of the camera naturally and confidently.” Kasumi Arimura

“I truly admire the #BareSkinProject’s authentic and unfiltered take on beauty. It is very unconventional and I love doing something different and challenging myself. I was nervous initially but preparing with the ‘miracle water’, SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence, gave me confidence to turn up on set bare face and do my best.” – Ni Ni

“When I first heard about SK-II’s #BareSkinProject, I thought I could not do it as I have never revealed my bare skin in public before. I was initially nervous about the shoot for Bare Skin Pride series but long term usage of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence has improved my skin condition and really gave me the confidence I needed to take up this challenge. Facial Treatment Essence has been my trusted skin care companion for many years and it has never once let me down.” – Tang Wei

“The photography I gravitate to tends to be something that is simple, instinctive and from the heart. This is why the #BareSkinProject spoke to me in such a big way. I was shooting for Bare Skin Uniqueness and it is the first time I heard a beauty brand tell me that the celebrities were not going to have any make up on their skin. The brand was not going to do any skin photoshop. The sheer authenticity of their message was really powerful.” Christopher Anderson

“Most of my work is around women’s lives, the passing of time and the degree to which we control our destiny. The only way to tell these stories is with intimacy, and that is exactly what this campaign was about for me. Letting me photograph them as they really look, simply, with no makeup, no masks and no pretensions made the short time I had with them very personal and intimate. It was a luxury to work on a campaign that appreciates women as they really are and not what they are supposed to look like.” Alessandra Sanguinetti

“Most of my work involves collaborations with individuals or groups who are unapologetically themselves. I am drawn to those who are able to share their strengths and their vulnerabilities with me in front of the camera. Beauty comes in many forms and I see my role as an image-maker to help reveal the unique loveliness that lies beneath the surface of my subjects. When photographing Tang Wei and Arimura for the #BareSkinProject, I was able to use this use authentic and honest approach. and they in turn trusted me enough to reveal their selves to the camera. Their natural confidence lit up the shoot. They are perfect representatives of women who are not afraid to be themselves and meet the world on their own terms.”Jim Goldberg

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