Wang Jiangyong takes 10-year debut to Tokyo competition

Wang Jiangyong’s debut feature, “The Night That Binds Us,” world premiered in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival, in a project that took nearly 10 years to complete, Variety reported Nov. 3.

The Hong Kong-France co-production puts a first-time Chinese feature director in Tokyo’s main competition after a 28-day shoot in 2023 and a three-year edit, according to Variety’s festival report and interview.

The film follows Sun Guofeng, a college student left isolated in Shanghai after his parents are arrested on suspicion of fraud, and An, a dormitory manager mourning her daughter and the collapse of her family.

“I think you have to show the painful parts truthfully for the moments of light to move people,” Wang said.

“The Night That Binds Us” adapts a short story by Zhang Chu, a Lu Xun Literary Prize winner. Variety described the Lu Xun Literary Prize as one of China’s top literary awards.

Wang said the image of a dorm manager dancing in the original story stayed with him and helped push him toward a screen version. He spent one year writing the script, keeping the story’s emphasis on estrangement and an uneasy attachment while adding Guofeng’s girlfriend, Yezi, and his roommate, Ale.

“The space is a container for the characters’ emotions,” Wang said. “They begin in separate areas, then gradually become willing to enter each other’s space.”

The director’s approach is built around distance. Wang uses fixed long takes, avoids frequent close-ups and treats the camera as what he called “a quiet observer,” asking viewers to judge the bond for themselves.

Hu Ling, who plays An and appeared in Lou Ye’s “Summer Palace,” said she cried when she first read the script. Liu Xingsheng, described as an older schoolmate from film school, recommended her to Wang.

“I started acting at 15 and then took a 10-year break. I’ve been through a lot myself. This script convinced me completely and made me want to bring An to life,” Hu said.

Hu said she and Wang did not treat An and Guofeng’s connection as romance. She said she and Tan Zuhong, who plays Guofeng, kept a professional distance during the shoot.

Producer Zheng Ruoxing said the co-production began early, after the filmmakers met partners at a project market. Those partners joined after reading the script and connecting with the characters’ situations, she said.

The long post-production period shaped the film’s final form. Wang said he and producer Zhang Ming, director of 1996’s “Rainclouds Over Wushan,” cut explanatory material through dozens of edits to leave more interpretive space for the audience.

Wang’s next script is still in development, and he said he plans to keep writing about ordinary people and difficult relationships.

Source: interview and festival report, Variety, Nov. 3, 2026