Lost in the Stars (2022)

Also known as ‘She who Disappeared’ is a Chinese mystery film. Directed by Cui Rui & Liu Xiang. Starring Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni, Janice Man, Du Jiang.

He Fei ‘s wife disappears during their anniversary trip. When she reappears he insists that she isn’t his wife. A top lawyer gets involved in the bizarre case & more mysteries start to emerge.

It is primarily a fictionalized adaptation of a 1960 French stage play called ‘Trap for a Lonely Man’ by Alexey Korenev , which was also adapted into a 1990 Soviet film.

The film’s core premise draws heavy inspiration from a real -life tragedy. A pregnant Chinese woman Wang Nuanuan , in 2019 was pushed off a 34 meter high cliff by her husband, in a desperate attempt to claim her wealth & clear his massive gambling debts. The couple was visiting Pha Taem National Park in Thailand. She miraculously survived the fall & later went public with her story.

Released on 25 Dec.2022 in Hainan International Film Festival.

Rotten Tomatoes gave a rating of 7.6/10. For the Guardian, Leslie Felperin gave it 3 of 5 stars.

Generally sympathy lies with the man on a trip whose wife is missing for 15 days. Later as the mystery unfolds it gets many angles. By the end we know how it is going to end.

First I thought it was a doppelganger like ‘Mera Saya; later thought if he was involved like in a film by Rishi Kapoor, he refuses that she is the wife. In film , “Khoj”1989 film, he blurts out , ‘Because I killed her !’ Kimi Katkar as the other woman, posing as his wife, so he would deny it.

In such cases the closest relative tends to be a suspect, not always. But there is deep suspicion.