Center Stage

Why did a silent-film star adored across 1930s Shanghai die at twenty-four? Ruan Lingyu (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) rises from newcomer to the city's first great screen actress, working with directors like Cai Chusheng (Tony Leung Ka-fai) while the public watches her every move. Stanley Kwan splices Cheung's performance with surviving footage and the cast talking about the roles, so the film keeps stepping out of the story to look at how it was made.