Rising Chinese filmmaker Gu Xiaogang (aka Gu You) is set to direct “The First Taste of Loneliness” which will star Chinese cinema icon Zhou Xun (“Suzhou River,” “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress”).
“The First Taste of Loneliness” marks the concluding chapter of Gu’s “Shan-Shui” (“Landscape”) trilogy, following his debut “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” which was filmed over four seasons and made history as the first Chinese film to close Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2019; and “Dwelling by the West Lake” which received three nominations at the 17th Asian Film Awards, with lead actress Jiang Qinqin winning Best Actress. The movie grossed 121 million RMB at the domestic box office ahead of its Japanese release in 2024.
“The First Taste of Loneliness” is produced by Shan Zuolong, who is at Cannes this year with Bi Gan’s “Resurrection” playing in competition, and Du Kexin (“Dwelling by the West Lake”). “The First Taste of Loneliness” will mark the concluding chapter in his “Shan-Shui” (“Landscape”) Cinema trilogy.
Zhou stars as woman grieving her father’s death. As she processes her loss, she observes her mother beginning a new romance and uncovers a list of her father’s final wishes. Spanning three generations—elderly, middle-aged, and youth—the narrative is a profound meditation on life’s cycles. Through the lens of loneliness, the film explores love, death, and healing.
Paris-based Les Films du Losange will handle international sales, excluding France, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan; while Tandem Films, led by French producer Mathieu Robinet, is co-producing alongside Hangzhou Enlightenment Films.
“Young director Gu Xiaogang impressed us from his very first film with his mastery of storytelling, composition, and pacing,” said Alice Lesort, head of international sales at Les Films du Losange, who added that “this new project promises to establish him as a major contemporary filmmaker.”
Tandem Films’ Robinet said, “The strength of ‘The First Taste of Loneliness’ lies not only in its striking visual ambition but also in the emotional depth and moral complexity of its narrative.”
“It’s a story that resonates on both a philosophical and deeply human level,” Robinet continued.
Xun stars opposite a prestigious Chinese cast, including XI Meijuan (Golden Rooster winner, “The Left-Behind Lady”), Wang Shengdi (“The Bad Kids”), Zhou Yiwei (“Dying to Survive”), Mu Zhicheng, and XU Chaoying (“Green Wave”).
Acclaimed Japanese cinematographer Takimoto Mikiya (“Like Father, Like Son,” “Our Little Sister“) who is known for his long-standing collaboration with Hirokazu Kore-eda, will serve as cinematographer on the “The First Taste of Loneliness.” The rest of the key crew includes production designer Zhou Xingyu (“Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” “Dwelling by the West Lake”), costume designer Su Chao (“Girls on Wire”), sound director LI Danfeng (“Resurrection”) and editor Matthieu Laclau (“A Touch of Sin,” “The Wild Goose Lake”).
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