Cities of Last Things

Name: Cities of Last Things
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Crime
Released: July 11, 2019
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Chin-Hang Shih, Ching-Ting Hsia, Chun-hao Tuan, Eric Tu, Hong-Chi Lee

2019

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): July 11, 2019 | TV-MA

Starring: Chin-Hang Shih, Ching-Ting Hsia, Chun-hao Tuan, Eric Tu, Hong-Chi Lee, Huang Lu, Ivy Yin, Jack Kao, Kenny Kuo, Linda Jui-Chi Liu, Louise Grinberg, Ming-Shuai Shih, Ning Ding

Summary: This is a story about a common man who has extraordinary events in his mundane life. The film depicts the protagonist's turns of events in three eras, three seasons, three nights, in the same city, as told with reverse chronology.

Director: Wi Ding Ho

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Drama, Crime

Rating: TV-MA

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

Boyd van Hoeij

Jul 10, 2019

Though it takes a little while for the film to find its footing, this is an ambitious and, finally, also touching new work from Pinoy Sunday director Ho Wi Ding. Read full review

John Berra

Jul 10, 2019

The film is at its most arresting in its slick neo noir middle section. Read full review

Robert Abele

Jul 10, 2019

A surprisingly effective slice of dystopian noir. Read full review

Jessica Kiang

Jul 10, 2019

Cities of Last Things has a puzzle-box structure that makes it seem complex and that tasks us with teasing out allusions and associations that a straighter telling would miss, but emotionally it is also simple: Nestled in the middle of this loop-the-loop enigma, skewering the slippery narrative to its timeline like a pin through the heart, it’s a love story. Read full review

Christopher Machell

Jul 10, 2019

In drawing on a melange of influences, Ho’s film succeeds in using fractured time as way of puzzling together the essential drives that move a city and its inhabitants. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

Jul 11, 2019

As the full picture comes into focus, the narrative can tend toward the trite. The chief pleasure of the movie is the 35-millimeter cinematography of Jean Louis Vialard. Read full review

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User Reviews

JLuis_001

Mar 11, 2021

Cities of Last Things is a film that takes place chronologically in reverse.

Due to that narrative structure, much of what happens on screen doesn't seem to make sense, but as time passes and the knot begins to unravel, this dark and ambitious vision demonstrates its strengths. This is aCities of Last Things is a film that takes place chronologically in reverse.

Due to that narrative structure, much of what happens on screen doesn't seem to make sense, but as time passes and the knot begins to unravel, this dark and ambitious vision demonstrates its strengths.

This is a film to which you need to give time to work, otherwise you will find yourself quite confused, at least during the first half hour, and therefore you may decide to give up going the whole way.
Which is understandable, but clearly shows this is not the right film for you

Personally, I did enjoy it.
It was a bit difficult for me to give it context at first, because there are many ideas that are thrown into the mix without giving it an order, but eventually I got to the point where all the pieces fell into place.

Nothing remarkable but it's a good option.… Expand

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zachgr

Oct 27, 2022

Inverse mode watching an interesting movie with many messages mixed from future to past in three time stages for the protagonist.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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