The Movie Emperor

The Hong Kong movie star Lau Wai-chi (Andy Lau) misses out again on the Hong Kong film awards. He sits in his office, making short videos that pay tribute to the characters he has played over his 45-year career. But trying to regain popularity this way feels desperate and cheap. He needs to make a film again.

He contacts Chinese director Lin Hao (Ning Hao), as he wants to star in a film shot in the countryside, playing an ordinary farmer, something he has never done before. This film he thinks will help restore his career to glory. Yet he is so used to being a movie star and having a special treatment in his everyday life, that it is hard for him to connect with the people of the street or peasants, people who have a lower social status than him. Even with women, there seems to exist an impassable barrier. For his new role to be successful, he needs to learn from the villagers how they really live and speak. But they see through his arrogance and vanity – as does the crew. The big star is nobody if he can’t communicate. And he won’t be able to communicate if he can’t put aside his vanity and prejudice. If he finally manages, will they give him another chance?

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