Variety is exclusively unveiling the first trailer for “ A Dance in Vain ,” the second feature from Lee Hong-chi following his 2023 Venice Lion of the Future Award-winning debut “Love is a Gun.”

The film has been selected for the Settimana Internazionale della Critica (SIC), the independent and parallel section of the Venice Film Festival organized by the Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI).

The drama stars Cici Wang as Monkey, a backstage theater worker facing unemployment after years of unrewarding work. She struggles to secure housing in Shanghai’s competitive market while processing the grief from her partner Leo’s suicide. Monkey is also trapped in repetitive daily patterns, seeking connection and understanding from others, only to be met with dismissive responses telling her

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