In Luomu, a town small enough to explore in just 30 minutes, Bai arrives at a guesthouse with a three-year-old postcard from her ex-boyfriend Wang that’s inscribed with the mysterious words ‘Gloaming in Luomu.’ As she walks through the town with the postcard, she encounters Wang’s traces in different places. Her plans for a short, quiet stay are soon disrupted by the locals and guests, including Liu, the wine-loving guesthouse owner; her boyfriend Huang; and her drinking buddy Peng. Gloaming in Luomu is Zhang Lu’s third film that was shooted in China after years of working in Korea. Like his earlier works, it’s filled with warmth and humor. The dialogue scenes, exchanged in short, almost offhand bursts, are trivial at times yet reveal deep wounds at others. But the tone remains consistently honest and warm, while the characters, flawed in their own ways, are peculiarly charming. Zhang’s camera, which once wandered the city, now follows Bai along the town’s narrow streets, pausing to pan 360 degrees to capture the surrounding mountains and the twilight settling upon them. The scene where the characters dance to a techno-infused version of ‘Arirang’ reflects Zhang’s gentle humor and comfort in the offbeat rhythm of his film.
