'Long Day's Journey Into Night': A dream or a mystery?

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It's rare to see an art house film becoming a box office blockbuster. However, for "Long Day's Journey Into Night," things have been different.

Bi Gan's second feature, which stars Tang Wei and Huang Jue, managed to set the cash registers ringing by pocketing 100 million yuan through its presales only, six days before its opening day.

Read more: Bi Gan's 'Long Day’s Journey Into Night' exceeds 100 million yuan in presale

So far, the movie has earned a total of 278.1 million yuan in China.

The mystery saga unveils in a somewhat dark and ambiguous manner as the story starts with Luo Hongwu (played by Huang Jue), who has returned home after his father's death, where he finds an old photograph reminding him of an old lover (played by Tang Wei). He then embarks on a journey full of twists and turns to find her.

A poster for "Long Day's Journey Into Night." /VCG Photo

The film is split into two distinct sections and, 70 minutes into the film, a stunning 59-minutes long take filmed in 3D begins. Here, the film takes the audience to Luo's dream world where all his old wishes are fulfilled and all his questions are answered.

But what happens next? Well, for that you'll have to watch the movie yourself.

The film's dark set-up and background music create a humid, old, and gloomy atmosphere.

The plot is slow, but the inner struggle of the characters is intelligently depicted.

A still from "Long Day's Journey Into Night." /VCG Photo

The delicately-designed film was screened in "Un Certain Regard" section at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018. At the 55th Golden Horse Awards, it grabbed awards for the Best Cinematography, Best Original Film Score, and Best Sound Effects.

Despite the accolades, many netizens mocked the film as "too difficult to understand," "sleep-inducing," and "technically showing-off" after its opening day on December 31.

So far, the film has been reviewed by 437,000 viewers on Maoyan, a film review and ticketing platform in China, rating it at 2.6 (poor) out of five. About 76 percent of them rated the movie as one or two stars out of 10.

(From L-R) Director Bi Gan, actor Huang Jue, actress Tang Wei, and actor Chen Yongzhong attend a promotional event in Shanghai, December 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

Despite the overwhelming confusion and doubt, there is still some positive feedback.

It has been rated 8.9 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, with several film critics using words like "masterpiece" and "feat" to describe the movie.

It's undeniable that "Long Day's Journey Into Night" has introduced the film world with a unique style of storytelling. The unusual depiction may have not wowed the common audience but it certainly promotes diversity and innovation in filmmaking.

(Cover: A poster for "Long Day's Journey Into Night." /VCG Photo)