Lost
in The Stars (Original title: Xiao shi de ta) | 2022 | 2h 1m
Genre:
Crime/Drama/Mystery | Country: China
Director:
Rui Cui, Xiang Liu | Writers: Sicheng Chen, Shuyi Gu, Aleksey Korenev
Cast:
Yilong Zhu, Ni Ni, Janice Man
IMDB:
6.5
My
Rate: 7/10
Li Muzi, He Fei’s wife, disappears in a foreign country, and He Fei’s report doesn’t receive the expected response from the police — until suddenly, a woman appears and claims to be his wife. With the help of Chen Mai, He Fei desperately tries to uncover the truth.
Warning:
Contains scenes of violence, drugs, alcohol, and smoking.Synopsis:
He
Fei repeatedly goes to the police station, begging for an explanation about his
wife who vanished without a trace. But no one takes him seriously — until
Officer Zheng decides to help after seeing the confusion and despair in his
eyes.
Back
at the inn, He Fei wakes up to find a strange woman beside him. The woman
claims to be Li Muzi, his missing wife. But He Fei knows for sure she isn’t.
Unfortunately, no one believes him — all the evidence says otherwise.
In
his growing confusion, He Fei seeks help from a famous lawyer, Chen Mai, to
find the truth. Together, they follow a trail full of puzzles, uncovering layer
after layer of lies — until they realize that sometimes, the truth can be more
dangerous than the lies themselves.
Will He Fei really find his wife, or will he lose himself in a game he never
understood?
Review:
Imagine
the person you love disappears in a foreign country, and suddenly someone shows
up claiming to be them. Lost in the Stars tries to translate that fear
onto the screen, pulling the audience into a labyrinth of mystery and
psychological manipulation. The film is adapted from A Trap for Lonely Man
(1990) by Alexey Korenev and the play Trap for a Lonely Man (1960) by
Robert Thomas. However, the shift in genre from comedy to psychological
thriller gives it a new and far more intense dimension.
From
the start, the mysterious atmosphere is immediately felt — the chaos of the
police station, He Fei’s anxiety, and the heavy background music create a
strong foundation for a story of loss. Each character is introduced naturally,
without exaggeration, and the conflict begins to grow slowly when a strange
woman claims to be his missing wife. From that moment, He Fei’s world begins to
crack. Between memory and reality, he struggles to hold on, until Chen Mai
appears like a glimmer of light in the fog.
Mystery
after mystery unfolds, delivering a satisfying resolution even though it feels
slightly weak in the end. Some narrative logic slips — especially in the
ending, where each character’s fate is explained through on-screen text.
Instead of reinforcing the story, this method slightly diminishes the emotional
impact that had been built.
The
actors’ performances are the film’s saving grace. He Fei’s pressured
expressions and Chen Mai’s firm gaze convey layers of complex emotion. However,
in terms of storytelling, some things could’ve been clearer — like the clarity
of location, spatial consistency, and the logical reasoning behind how easily
Chen Mai manipulates the law in that fictional country.
The
story takes place in a fictional country, which actually weakens its narrative
grounding. The limited interaction with local culture — both in terms of local
citizens and language — makes the setting feel less authentic. Even Chen Mai’s
status as a tourist doesn’t stop her from easily committing various illegal
acts in the name of that country.
Visual
inconsistency is also noticeable, such as the size of the confinement room that
changes between interior and exterior shots. Inside, He Fei appears in a large
space with many rooms, but from afar, it looks like a small box. These little
details don’t ruin the movie, but they slightly disrupt visual immersion. Also,
the long explanation of Chen Mai’s identity weakens the tension during the
climax.
Overall,
Lost in the Stars successfully transforms a classic comedy into an
intense psychological thriller. Though not fully refined, it still delivers a
story highlighting loss, friendship, and betrayal within an elegant frame of
mystery.
Lost
in the Stars doesn’t just take us through a man’s confusion after losing
his love — it also shows how fragile the line is between love, obsession, and
regret.
“Loss doesn’t always happen because someone leaves — but because we realize their worth too late.”
Memorable Scene:
Chen
Mai reveals the manipulation He Fei has been through, and slowly the pieces of
the puzzle come together. In this scene, we see manipulation techniques
presented in a very interesting way, strengthened by He Fei’s expression that
represents the pressure he’s been carrying all along.
In
real life, manipulation often comes without us realizing it. And when we
finally notice that we’re trapped in it, feelings of shock and guilt often
emerge — as if everything was our fault. But realizing manipulation isn’t the
end — it’s the first step toward breaking free from it.
Memorable Dialogue:
“Everything in this world has a price.”
Ending:
Sad
Ending
Recommendation:
Worth
to Watch
(Aluna)
 – Love, Manipulation, and Regret That Came Too Late){kind=link}
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