Wang Jiangyong's first feature, The Night That Binds Us, has world-premiered in competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival. In an interview with Variety, he explained how framing, space and omission shape the relationship between a student and an older dormitory manager.
A fictional story of displacement
Adapted from Zhang Chu's short story, the film follows Sun Guofeng after his parents' arrest on suspicion of fraud and An as she grieves her daughter and a broken family.
Wang spent a year developing the screenplay, adding Guofeng's girlfriend Yezi and roommate Ale. He treated the dormitory, An's cramped duty room and an empty holiday campus as expressions of the characters' inner lives.
Actor Hu Ling said she and Wang agreed not to present An and Guofeng's connection as a romance. She and co-star Tan Zuhong also maintained a courteous distance off camera.
Finding meaning in what is removed
Fixed long takes and few close-ups leave viewers room to interpret the bond. Production took nearly a decade overall: the 2023 shoot lasted 28 days, followed by three years of editing through dozens of versions. Wang and producer Zhang Ming repeatedly removed explanatory shots.
Wang's next script remains in development, with an interest in ordinary people and complicated relationships. Producer Zheng Ruoxing says the Hong Kong–France co-production took shape early after the filmmakers met partners at a project market. Those partners connected with the characters after reading the script and joined the production.