Transmedia, intertext, and genre crossing: Saturday fiction and Lou Ye’s commercial and historical turn

Abstract

This article examines Saturday Fiction (2019), Lou Ye’s historical spy thriller, as a significant example of the director’s turn toward historical themes, departing from his earlier focus on contemporary urban life. Retaining the play-within-the-story structure from Hong Ying’s original novel and integrating commercial genre conventions with layered narratives, the film blurs boundaries between fiction and reality, history and the present, and theatre, literature, and cinema. With intertextual references to Saturday School, Saturday Fiction navigates the tension between artistic autonomy and mainstream market demands while reflecting historical contemporaneity. Lou’s distinctive cinematic techniques, including handheld cinematography and fragmented editing, immerse audiences in a vivid reconstruction of wartime Shanghai while underscoring the constructedness of cinematic history. Drawing on New Sensationist aesthetics and continuing Lou’s signature style of intertwining romance and death, the film foregrounds themes of love, desire, and existential struggle amid times of crisis. Despite its historical focus, Saturday Fiction–like Lou’s urban films–engages deeply with the contemporary postsocialist society, critiquing capitalist globalization and cultural commodification. Ultimately, the film underscores the potential of this historical turn to sustain critical perspectives and foster artistic innovation within a globalized, market-driven cinematic landscape.