Annual Top Films Lists

Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2019: #17. Wild Goose Lake – Yi’nan Diao

Published on January 8, 2019

Wild Goose Lake

After taking home the Golden Bear at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival for his enjoyable genre film Black Coal, Thin Ice (review), Chinese director Yi-nan Diao seems to continue in the same vein with his fourth feature, Wild Goose Lake. Diao reunites with his Black Coal crew, including Liao Fan (who won Best Actor in Berlin for their previous pairing), Gwei Lun-mei, as well as Hu Ge and Wan Qian. Meanwhile, DP Dong Jingsong, art director Liu Qiang and sound editor Zhang Yang are also returning. Producers include Memento’s Alexandre Mallet-Guy, Shen Yang, and Arte France Cinema as well as a host of Chinese backers, Helichenguang International Culture Media, Green Ray Films, Omnijoi Films (who produced his previous film), China Film International and Fundamental Films. Prior to his Golden Bear win, Diao was programmed in Un Certain Regard for 2007’s Night Train.

Gist: Wild Goose Lake concerns a gangster on the run, sacrificing everything for his family and a woman he meets while on the lam.

Release Date/Prediction: Diao began filming last April in Wuhan. While Diao’s Golden Bear win might woo him back to their 2019 competition, French producer Mallet-Guy (recently responsible for Everybody Knows and Wild Pear Tree) would suggest a Cannes comp slot is the goal.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.