
Only the Shadows Move
Kevin, a young theatre director from Hong Kong, is searching for ideas for his next play with his team, hoping to get funding for an overseas production.Frank, a middle-aged hairdresser in Berlin, is performing his daily routine.Coincidences bring them together, though their friendship is dictated by the parameters of the smartphone.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
Kevin, a young theatre director from Hong Kong, is searching for ideas for his next play with his team, hoping to get funding for an overseas production. Frank, a middle-aged hairdresser in Berlin, is performing his daily routine. Coincidences bring them together, though their friendship is dictated by the parameters of the smartphone. Kevin decides to adapt the stories of the Berlin Wall to the stage, as old memories of living in East Berlin come flooding back to Frank. Shadows, in their literal and metaphorical sense, become the third wheel which silently alters their lives and turns into a story that transcends the boundaries of reason. Through this experimental work, director Terence LI sheds light on the inner space-time of the queer and the displaced.
Where to watch
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The numbers
Box Office & Release
- Budget
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- Opening weekend
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- Domestic gross
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- Release date
- Jun 10, 2023
- Runtime
- 0h 25m
- MPAA rating
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- Language
- Cantonese, German
- Country
- Hong Kong
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.

