The Shadowless Tower

The Shadowless Tower
Promotional poster
Traditional Chinese白塔之光
Literal meaningLight of the White Tower
Directed byZhang Lü
Screenplay byZhang Lü
Produced by
  • Xu Jiahan
  • Peng Jin
  • Zhang Jian
  • Huang Yue
  • Lu Sheng
Starring
CinematographyPiao Songri
Edited byLiu Xinzhu
Music byXiao He
Production
companies
  • Lu Films
  • Emei Film Investment
  • Great Luck Films
  • La Fonte
  • KO Media
Distributed byFilms Boutique
Release date
Running time
144 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

The Shadowless Tower (Chinese: 白塔之光) is a 2023 Chinese drama film written and directed by Korean-Chinese filmmaker Zhang Lü and stars Xin Baiqing, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Huang Yao. The film depicts the warm story of people healing and accompanying each other exhibiting family bond and love.[1]

It is selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 18 February 2023.[2]

Synopsis

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The name of film is from a landmark of a 13th-century Buddhist temple in the Xicheng District of Beijing, the White Pagoda. The eccentric design of temple makes it hard to see its shadow. This has given rise to the local legend that its shade can actually be found some two thousand miles away in Tibet, the temple’s spiritual home. It is used as a metaphor for a life stage of the protagonist, hence the name: The Shadowless Tower.[3]

A middle-aged man living alone in Beijing meets a young photographer at work. He learns the whereabouts of his father, with whom he had lost contact for more than 40 years. Encouraged by the photographer, he faces his father and regains the long-lost father-son relationship.

Cast

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Release

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The Shadowless Tower had its world premiere on 18 February 2023 at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.[4] It was invited at the 2023 New York Film Festival in the Main Slate, and was screened on 30 September 2023.[5][6] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 8 October 2023;[7] and at the 68th Valladolid International Film Festival in 'Official Section Feature Films (2023)' on 26 October.[8]

The Berlin- and Lyon-based international sales agent Film Boutique has sales right for the film.[9]

Reception

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On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[10] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "Generally Favorable Reviews".[11]

Jessica Kiang reviewing at Berlin Film Festival, for Variety praised the cinematography and music writing, "The warmth of Piao Songri’s photography is a constant, as is his facility for the offbeat framing of even the most everyday encounter, using doorways or reflections or a quickly shifting focus." Kiang added, "And the soundtrack is equally witty, composer Xiao's delicately used score has a signature flourish". Concluding Kiang wrote, "The film ambles onward, it reveals its arcs of change not in dramatic showdowns or sudden revelations, but in ellipses, in the occasional mysterious fold in chronology and, most rewardingly, in the casual, unforced repetition of certain motifs."[3] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter calling the film a contemplative film of quiet rewards, stated, "Piao Songri’s loose, fluid camerawork trails the protagonist, played with soulful intelligence by Xin, there’s both a haunting sense of all that he’s lost and a newfound self-knowledge that perhaps might propel him forward with greater openness."[12] Lee Marshall for ScreenDaily wrote in review that "The film’s delicacy of touch comes through not only in the bittersweet love story at its centre, but in a wealth of seemingly marginal details."[13]

Accolades

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Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 16–26 February 2023 Golden Bear The Shadowless Tower Nominated [14]
Golden Rooster Awards 4 November 2023 Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress Huang Yao Nominated [15]

References

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  1. ^ Zhang Mixi (24 January 2023). "《白塔之光》入围第73届柏林电影节主竞赛单元" ["The Light of the White Tower" was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the 73rd Berlin Film Festival]. The China Press (in Chinese). Qiaobao. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  2. ^ Rosser, Michael (23 January 2023). "Berlin Film Festival reveals 2023 competition line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kiang, Jessica (18 February 2023). "The Shadowless Tower Review: An Unusually Polite Midlife Crisis Makes for a Wry and Wistful Chinese Charmer". Variety. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (26 January 2023). "The Berlinale announces its Competition and Encounters titles, plus Ukraine- and Iran-focused solidarity initiatives". Cineuropa. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (8 August 2023). "New York Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup: 'Zone of Interest,' 'Poor Things,' 'Anatomy of a Fall' and More". Variety. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  6. ^ "61st New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 – 68th Edition: The Shadowless Tower". Valladolid International Film Festival. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  9. ^ Katz, David (9 February 2023). "Films Boutique pins its hopes on The Shadowless Tower for the Berlinale". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  10. ^ "The Shadowless Tower (Drama 2023)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  11. ^ "The Shadowless Tower". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. ^ Rooney, David (18 February 2023). "The Shadowless Tower (Bai Ta Zhi Guang) Review: A Divorced Food Critic Reconsiders His Existence in Affecting Minor-Key Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  13. ^ Marshall, Lee (18 February 2023). "'The Shadowless Tower': Berlin Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  14. ^ Ramachandran, Naman; Vivarelli, Nick (23 January 2023). "Berlin Film Festival Reveals Competition Lineup (Updating Live)". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  15. ^ "第36届金鸡奖入围名单公布！惠英红：看到了我这粒尘埃" [The shortlist for the 36th Golden Rooster Awards has been announced! Hui Yinghong: I saw this speck of dust in me]. 8world Entertainment Lifestyle (in Chinese). 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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