Cast members Chen Yongzhong (left), Tang Wei and Huang Jue promote the film in Beijing on Monday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"There are some classic long takes that have earned films high status in the history of cinema, but that's not why I chose to do a long take. I did it because I wanted the second part of the film to be told in this way, which makes the audience feel as if things are happening in real time," says Bi.

Born in Kaili, Guizhou province, in 1989, Bi shot to fame with his directorial debut, Kaili Blues, about his mountainous hometown. The film, which won a string of awards, has a 40-minute take.

Long Day's Journey into Night, which is also set in Kaili, is Bi's second feature film. It follows a man's return to his hometown to pursue a gang boss' mistress with whom he fell in love long ago.

The first 70 minutes, screened in the 2D format, blends his search and flashbacks of the past. The following 60 minutes, which should be watched while wearing 3D glasses, abruptly switches to a tale depicting the man's hopes and fears in his dream.

"I show all my expectations, nightmares and desires in my films," says Bi, who believes that cinema is a powerful language.

With a budget of around 70 million yuan, Long Day's Journey into Night has a star-studded cast led by Huang, who's known for such artistic works as The Master, and A-list actress Tang, who shot to prominence after acting in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution.

Chen Yongzhong, Bi's uncle who was once a security guard but persuaded by Bi to star in Kaili Blues as the film's budget was tight, does a cameo as the gang boss in the new movie.

The actors and actresses of Long Day's Journey into Night spent nine months filming in Kaili. Usually, a feature film is shot on the Chinese mainland in three months or fewer.

Huang, for example, trained with a local teacher to learn the local dialect for at least two months. And Tang says she "cut her shoulder slightly after the makeup artists failed to create a convincing injury". The most challenging part for Chen was to fiercely pull Tang's hair for a sequence in which the gang boss seizes the two protagonists.

"My actors are very generous. They have given me their time and tolerance," says Bi.

For some critics and industry insiders, the film may show how far a film without studio backing can go in China's box office. But Bi says he has already got what he wanted.

"I just want to direct a good story," he says.