Directed by Ang Lee and based on a short story by Eileen Chang , Lust, Caution is a 2007 film set against the backdrop of Japanese-occupied Shanghai during World War II. It follows a group of university students, including Wang Ju-feng (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Mme. Cheng (Maggie Cheung) , who become entangled in a dangerous plot to assassinate a local government collaborator. The film explores themes of love, betrayal, loyalty, and the ambiguity of morality during wartime.