Toronto Gala PresentationsRemake/AdaptationComedy/SatireArt/Artist
This is the latest film from director Wayne Wang, who has built a career in Hollywood while remaining true to his Asian identity. Seventy-year-old Utsugi, left paralyzed on his left side by a stroke, is cared for by his sister-in-law Hana and his Chinese daughter-in-law Susu. When the rest of the family sets off together on a summer vacation, Utsugi insists on staying behind, alone in the house with Susu. Feeling diminished, Utsugi gradually comes to believe that Susu is flirting with him and begins to feel a subtle, sensuous desire for her body. Based on Tanizaki Junichiro’s novel of the same name, Diary of a Mad Old Man seeks to translate the original novel’s aesthetic fetishism into cinematic form. The film does not look away from the fact that the driving force of life resides in moments that are ugly and vulgar. In particular, Lily Franky’s embodiment of the old man’s palpable, undisguised desire and Fan Bingbing’s subtly enigmatic performance in responding to that desire reveal that taboo is, in fact, the true face of desire.
Programme note by GOO Hyeong Jun
Stills3
Screenings4
Wed, 10/07
15:4018:05
CGV Centum City 5
035Guest Q&AKE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Thu, 10/08
21:5023:50
LOTTE CINEMA Centum City 5
137KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Mon, 10/12
10:0012:00
Busan Cinema Center Haneulyeon Theatre
467KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Wed, 10/14
16:4018:40
CGV Centum City 6
682KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Born in Hong Kong in 1949. After moving to San Francisco, Wang made his feature debut with Chan Is Missing (1982), which won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award. He went on to direct The Joy Luck Club (1993), depicting a Chinese immigrant family in the United States, and Smoke (1995), which won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. His other directorial works include While the Women Are Sleeping (2016) and Coming Home Again (2019).
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
