As boutique Blu-ray labels snap up so many Asian cinema titles these days, it’s important for a new sub-label like the Imprint Asia line to establish its identity. Right now, that would appear to be releasing Mainland China hits (as The Wandering Earth II is coming later this year). It’s a smart play for an underserved area of films that don’t grab headlines or feature internationally known actors like Donnie Yen or Jackie Chan. These films shouldn’t go by the wayside because there’s no one to distribute them.
Lost in the Stars is a great first foot forward for Imprint Asia, largely because the film is a great time! Adapted from a pair of Soviet and French plays, this drama / thriller follows He Fei (a terrific Zhu Yilong), a frantic husband searching for his missing wife in a fictitious Southeast Asian holiday hotspot. It’s stressful enough that he only has four days left on his visa. But a mysterious new woman (Janice Man) claims that she’s his wife, and all evidence of He’s previous wife has been erased. It’s up to him and a hotshot lawyer (megastar Ni Ni) to find the truth before his visa expires … or worse.
The film is an easy watch with slick production values, pitch-perfect performances from its stars, twists galore and a healthy mix of action and drama. Yilong especially puts in the work to depict He in various lights throughout the film — stringing together unexpected character continuity from what he’s given. Ni Ni is also great, easily selling her trustworthy badass lawyer as exactly the kind of person you’d turn to in times of trouble. Co-directors Rui Cui (debuting here) and Xiang Liu (with one previous feature) deliver a fun banger that never gets too maudlin or outrageous.
Imprint Asia’s package for the disc is handsome, with a numbered slipcase and year of production on the spine. The image is clean and helps the production value shine through, and the subtitles are well-read and visually pleasing. Only two issues stand out. Onscreen text is not translated, so some character-to-character texts require viewers unfamiliar with the language to rely on contextual information. This is challenging but bearable. However, that also means an end-title card revealing the characters’ fates is written in Chinese without subtitles. You can pause and use Google Translate, but that’s some unnecessary work to end an otherwise great experience.
As far as extras, there is only a trailer. While that could disappoint some, the film is the main meal here, and I look forward to further releases from Imprint Asia.