Wang's 'Diary of a Mad Old Man' Fails to Capture Novel's Perverse Energy
Wayne Wang's adaptation of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's 1961 novel about an elderly stroke victim's obsession with his daughter-in-law makes thoughtful textual changes but ends up feeling dull. The film, starring Lily Franky, opens with a masturbation scene that sets a different tone from the source material. Despite its provocative premise, the final product lacks the intended impact.
The review marks Wayne Wang's return to directing after a seven-year hiatus, with his previous feature released in 2019. The film stars Japanese actor Lily Franky in the lead role of Utsugi, a retired man recovering from a stroke who develops an obsessive fixation on his daughter-in-law. The adaptation makes deliberate departures from Tanizaki's source text, most notably opening with an explicit masturbation sequence that establishes a more confrontational tone than the novel's comparatively restrained approach.
Critic Vadim Rizov, writing for the publication, positions the film within Wang's broader filmography while noting the director's conscious effort to reinterpret the source material for contemporary audiences. The review appears in a roundup of recent releases that also includes a Jay Baruchel biopic and a Joe Swanberg romantic comedy, suggesting the film is being evaluated alongside other mid-tier independent productions. The film is distributed by Fourier Films.
This review may influence how audiences and distributors perceive literary adaptations that tackle taboo subjects. The disconnect between provocative source material and a tepid final product could reinforce skepticism about prestige adaptations, potentially affecting box office prospects for similarly ambitious projects. Older viewers familiar with Tanizaki's work may feel particularly disappointed, while younger audiences encountering the premise for the first time might be deterred from seeking out either the film or the novel.