Movie Review: The Sun Rises on Us All
Screened at Stockholm International Film Festival 2025
One-liner: Solid co-leads, thoughtful writing and slow-burning tension steep this melodrama in mystery.
The Sun Rises on Us All is a drama from Shangjun Cai that centers on a man and a woman bound by a difficult history and an inconvenient secret. Taking place years after a life-altering event, the melodrama captures the intricate and precarious nature of their relationship as details surrounding their shared past come to light.
Set in an ordinary Chinese city, the story follows Meiyun, a woman who makes her livelihood in social media fashion marketing. Her fairly middle-class existence is interrupted first by the promise of love, and then by another man who arrives out of the blue. His presence creates a rift and a discomfort that continues to build. Initially a mystery, his lethargic, thorn-in-the-side presence becomes clearer as his true motivations unfurl.
Meiyun humours him, surprisingly patient with his entitled attitude, and the nature of their bond becomes the crux of this slow-burning drama about past regrets. As she makes sacrifices to ensure his unexpected stay is comfortable, it becomes clear that this man from an impoverished background is owed something. As the fog lifts, the awkward dynamic builds and tensions rise.
A cleverly crafted drama, The Sun Rises on Us All benefits from strong co-lead performances from Zhilei Xin and Songwen Zhang (as Meiyun and Baoshu Wu), who truly capture the uneasiness and strange power dynamic at play. There is a history here, and the woman’s long-suffering patience – clashing with the man’s expectant yet nonplussed energy – begins to take a toll. As their communication opens up, we become privy to the life-changing circumstances of their previous arrangement. Building toward this eye-opening reveal, the awkward tension finds a hook to hang on, forcing the duo to either make amends or move forward.
“What’s to say?”
Though the audience is initially unsure why he is there, the drama hinges on these unpaid debts as he becomes a roadblock to the woman’s future hopes. This lose-lose situation creates a fresh dramatic scenario, resulting in an emotional stalemate as the two try to work through their complicated past.
Encompassing the past, present and future, The Sun Rises on Us All is a captivating drama with raw power, even if it teases things out and runs a bit long. Grappling with the mundane aspects of this world, it successfully immerses the viewer in the culture and lives of people in an unusual predicament – essentially an emotional arm-wrestle and a stand-off.
There is an unwillingness to compromise and a reluctance to finalize what is truly owed. A sense of unfinished business pervades the drama; this tension helps drive the mystery, hint at romance and fuels the fire. At times a little melodramatic, the thoughtful writing nonetheless capitalizes on the slow burn and the ripple effects of a moment that defines lives.
Arriving at an impasse, the climactic moment holds a raw power and pent-up frustration that makes this film truly memorable. The Sun Rises on Us All rewards the audience with a moment of release that represents the see-sawing nature of the power dynamic. In an unobtrusive way, the film captures a slice of life in China, showing people trying to move forward while being held back by the sins of their past. A fascinating character study and a wonderful exercise in tension, it’s a captivating, suspenseful, and curious dissection of a relationship on a precipice.
The bottom line: Tense
