Two more neurotic lost souls in the focused central metropolis of Shanghai find connection amidst clear cinematic homage in writer/director Andrej Iliev’s existential Czech drama SHANGHAI STORY.

Sex toy copywriter David (Drago Lazetich) is not exactly achieving orgasmic returns on his work with an ongoing alcohol dependency and an overbearing boss, but whilst out reflecting by the city waters, he encounters Alice (Emilie Ohana), holding a map that she wants to exploit and explore the city with. Naturally, David is curious if a little reluctant – so the pair team up to go down back alleyways and explore mysterious houses, as well as explore the meaning of life and discover perhaps the underbelly of what it truly means to be in Shanghai itself….

There is more than a passing sense of homage to past cinematic city vista offerings, notably the collective New York canvas of Woody Allen and – significantly – Sofia Coppola’s LOST IN TRANSLATION, with Lazetich and Ohana mimicking Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, given the Far East setting and the pensive reflections of characters who are clearly trying to find a sense of belonging as strangers in a strange land.

There is a lot of constructive and misplaced banter about the meaning of life and whether corporate ideas over independence are still valid

It looks good overall and the digital cinematography does heighten the city’s visual strengths which have been exploited in the James Bond film SKYFALL (2012) in recent years, but the comparison to Coppola’s award-winning film will inevitably kick in, hampering its’ chances in the marketplace given word of mouth and festival buzz.

Still, if you like this type of city relationship offering, then there is something to delve deeper into. Both leads do have good screen presence and one hopes they will get more opportunities in the future in indie film-making.

The Los Angeles International Film Festival (LAIFF) runs from 16th – 21st November 2021. For information and tickets etc, please go to:

www.laiff.org

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Film and TV Journalist Follow: @Higgins99John Follow: @filmandtvnow