Filmmaker Midi Z’s The Unseen Sister to Compete in the Tokyo International Film Festival
Ever since Taiwanese-Burmese film director Midi Z grabbed eyeballs with his 2019 release Nina Wu, there’s been excitement about his upcoming releases. The filmmaker seems to have garnered lots of attention with his new film The Unseen Sister. His latest film is a feminist crime thriller adapted from Zhang Yeuran’s Unseen Sister and is being touted as the director’s most commercial film to have hit the silver screen.
It’s all set to compete in the main competition of the much acclaimed Tokyo International Film Festival. Later this year, the film will also be showcased at the Singapore International Film Festival.
The Unseen Sister tells the tale of two identical twins with vastly different destinies. Separated shortly after birth, they live contrasting lives — one as a successful actress in China and the other in the underbelly of Myanmar. Things that happen when the two sisters cross paths in a twist of fate comprises the story of the film.
Starring Zhao Liying of The Legend of Shen Li, The Story of Minglan Legend of Chu Qiao, Legend of Lu Zhen, and The Journey of Flower and Wild Bloom fame, the film also brings together a stellar cast comprising famed actors like Huang Jue, Xin Zhilei and Chinese rapper Gem.
Much like his earlier release Nina Wu, his latest film also casts a glance at the dark side of fame, exposing the challenges faced by women in the entertainment industry. But at the same time, it’s also a study of women who live on the fringes, struggling to make ends meet.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Midi Z said, “It’s the first mainstream film that I’ve done, in comparison to the past ones. This is the most commercial film, in terms of production budget and the production scale. All my earlier films, were a little bit smaller with less people on set, this one, it’s over 300 people on set. Ultimately, the core of the story and the core of the whole production is very Chinese. It’s about Chinese people. It’s about family. It’s about the values that Chinese people value a lot.”
The film has received mixed reviews from critics so far, with most of them praising it for being a brave attempt at capturing the essence of Chinese society.
