Lost in the Shadows (2024)

Lost and Found.

Set in the 1990s, this is a riveting suspense thriller about three teenage boys who go missing on a dark and stormy night. Three years later, Xiao Qi, a pick-pocket is caught and identified as one of the missing boys. He is reunited with his grateful family but he does not seem quite the same and claims to have little memory of what transpired three years ago. This revives the investigation of the old case, with Wang Shitu leading the investigation. His investigation shines a spotlight on human trafficking rings. His search is painful and personal as his son has been lost for more than a decade. As the investigation advances, he gets to know Xiao Qi and the Jin family and more questions emerge as to what really happened that fateful night.

This drama does a terrific job building suspense, planting the seeds of many credible explanations with each frightening new reveal. Mystery buffs will enjoy trying sorting through all the lies to pull all the pieces together. The first villain's confession however was not convincingly obtained and that case is too hastily tied up to focus on the final villain. There are too many confessions obtained using this same threat of shaky evidence against a loved one. Even though a shadowy image of the main villain and what must have happened emerges early on, the cat and mouse of pinning them down is riveting. This is one of the most layered, selfish, manipulative and just plain evil sociopaths I have seen in a long time. What is truly scary is their motive is vile but understandable; that this is easily something someone, anyone is capable of doing simply because they want what they want badly enough. The final solution however is somewhat anti-climatic; there are many more interesting ways this could have played out. There are also a fair number of plot holes and loose ends.

The strongest and most moving aspect of this narrative is not the mystery but the relationships that evolve around it. The mother and the father who lost a child and the unimaginable and continuing pain that they endure. And the lonely boy that was lost and found, and how through all this mess they somehow manage to heal a small part of each other. With this kind of cast, I don't have to praise the acting. Zhang Songwen and Rong Zishan's chemistry is well established and as expected, they deliver in spades and make me root for them every step of the way. But the most surprising and distressing performance is Guo Keyu's portrayal of Bian Meizhen's confused longing for her lost child and her devastating moments of awareness.

Overall, the mystery plot is good but does not live up to its early promise and is not as tight as could be. But the character arcs are superbly done and the ending is perfect and brilliant in the most realistic of ways. This is a highly recommended 8.5/10.0.






ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS





Doudou was a red herring from the start and considering the theme of this story is lost children, it is no surprise that there is no fairytale ending. Nonetheless, Wang Shitu does not give up and continues to look. This kind of story is not easy to write or to end in a way that acknowledges and respects the suffering of victims of child trafficking. Jin Manfu is the manifestation of what must be every parent with a lost child's worst nightmare. But this story also reminds us that there are Wang Shitus and Bian Meizhens in this world who can still open a corner of their hearts. And that maybe they can also find some solace by opening a small part of their hearts. The only small bone the drama throws the audience is Doudou probably ended up in a family with a dog and where he is much loved and may one day still be found.








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A beautiful and tragic story about parents and children

Lost in The Shadows is an exciting thriller, full of mysteries and hooks that holds the viewer's attention. But beyond the crimes, it is a story with many feelings, mainly the very strong pain of parents looking for their missing children.

Rong Zi Shan has been exceptional in her role since the first episode. The way Xiao Qi connects with Meizhen and Wang Shitu is beautiful, he becomes a real son to them, he is not just filling a hole in their hearts.

Zhang Song Wen is also perfect in his role as police officer Wang, he made me cry a few times. His search for his son Doudou is painful to watch until the last episode, and I believe it will continue to hurt my memory.

The direction is very good, it doesn't let the story lose its pace, all the episodes have a lot of emotion. The construction of the flashbacks is charming, the use of colors is very good. Great song choices that go well with the story and scenes, Chinese dramas always make good use of the soundtrack. The script brings many plot twists, makes us create theories and bite our nails with anxiety. Bian Jie's story changed several times, I almost freaked out wanting to know the truth straight away. It's been a while since I've been so excited about a drama like this.

I gave the story a score of 9 instead of 10 because I felt that some characters were left behind in the story, without as much involvement as they seemed to have. I think the child cast could have been used more and Xiao Qi's past explored more. But these are just details that do not detract from the work as a whole, which is magnificent.

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