UW Cinematheque | Long Day’s Journey into Night 3-D (2018)

3D is used to virtuoso ends in this arthouse neo-noir (which has nothing to do with Eugene O’Neill). The film begins in 2D, as Luo searches out old flames and foes in a neon-drenched Kaili. The entire final hour of the film is a single, unbroken 3D shot that draws us deep into Lou’s dream-state. Both a dazzling technical accomplishment and time-bending narrative trick, this epic shot comprises the most ingenious use of 3D in narrative cinema since Gravity. In China, this unlikely blockbuster racked up a massive $40 million in its opening weekend (!). “Reaches a new level of cinematic intrigue as an immersive experience, unfolding within a surreal context that combines technical wizardry with high art. In this masterful directing gamble, the camera peers deep into its protagonist’s soul, and finds a whole universe lurking in its confines” (Indiewire). Presented with the support of Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison.