Stranger Eyes

Stranger Eyes
Traditional Chinese默視錄
Hanyu PinyinMò shì lù
Directed byYeo Siew Hua
Written byYeo Siew Hua
Produced by
  • Fran Borgia
  • Stefano Centini
  • Jean-Laurent Csinidis
  • Alex C. Lo
Starring
CinematographyHideho Urata
Edited byJean-Christophe Bouzy
Music byThomas Foguenne
Production
companies
  • Akanga Film Asia
  • Volos Films
  • Films de Force Majeure
  • Cinema Inutile
Distributed by
  • Epicentre Films (France)
Release date
  • September 5, 2024 (2024-09-05) (Venice)
Running time
126 minutes
Countries
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • France
  • United States

Stranger Eyes (Chinese: 默視錄) is a 2024 internationally co-produced mystery thriller film directed by Yeo Siew Hua starring Lee Kang-sheng and Wu Chien-ho.

The film premiered in the main competition section of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, becoming the first Singaporean film to compete for the Golden Lion.[1] It is set to open the 2024 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and the 35th Singapore International Film Festival.[2][3]

Premise

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After young father Darren's daughter goes missing, he begins to receive video recordings of his personal life. He suspects that his neighbor Goh is the culprit and begins surveilling him in a hunt for answers.[4]

Cast

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  • Wu Chien-ho as Junyang
  • Lee Kang-sheng as Lao Wu
  • Anicca Panna as Peiying
  • Vera Chen as Shuping
  • Xenia Tan as Ling Po
  • Pete Teo as Officer Zheng
  • Maryanne Ng-Yew as Mother Wu
  • Mila Troncoso as Ana

Production

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Stranger Eyes received the HAF Fiction Award at the 2020 Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum. The film was also awarded funding from Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority, the French Aide aux Cinémas du monde, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), and Purin Pictures from Thailand.[4]

In August 2023, Variety reported that Lee Kang-sheng had been cast in the film and that principal photography was underway. The report noted that post-production was expected to wrap by early 2024.[4]

Release

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Stranger Eyes had its world premiere in the main competition section of the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[1] It made its North American premiere in the Main Slate of the 62nd New York Film Festival.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10.

Accolades

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Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2024 Best Cinematography Hideho Urata Pending [6]
Valladolid International Film Festival 2024 Silver Spike Stranger Eyes Won [7]
Venice Film Festival 2024 Golden Lion Yeo Siew Hua Nominated [1]
Taipei Golden Horse Awards 2024 Best Narrative Feature Stranger Eyes Pending [8][9]
Best Director Yeo Siew Hua Pending
Best Supporting Actor Lee Kang-sheng Pending
Best Original Screenplay Yeo Siew Hua Pending
Best Original Film Score Thomas Foguenne Pending
Best Sound Effects Tu Duu-chih, Tu Tse-kang Pending

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lui, John. "Yeo Siew Hua mystery is first S'pore film to compete for Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ "2024 Golden Horse Film Festival Opens with YEO Siew Hua's STRANGER EYES". Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  3. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2024-10-03). "Jafar Panahi to Receive Cinema Honorary Award, 'Stranger Eyes' to Open 35th Singapore Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  4. ^ a b c Frater, Patrick; Ramachandran, Naman (2023-08-18). "'A Land Imagined' Director Yeo Siew Hua Casts Taiwan Star Lee Kang-Sheng in Surveillance Thriller 'Stranger Eyes' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  5. ^ "62nd New York Film Festival Main Slate Announced". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ^ "17th ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED". Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  7. ^ "'Misericordia', del cineasta francés Alan Guiraudie, gana la Espiga de Oro de la Seminci 2024". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 26 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Nominees & Winners 2024". 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  9. ^ "All Shall Be Well leads Hong Kong contenders at Golden Horse Awards". South China Morning Post. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
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