The enthralling, shadowy film proved to be a significant indie success in its homeland, China, winning over critics since its initial screening at Cannes. Yilong Zhu plays the role of Ma Zhe, a disillusioned detective tasked with navigating a string of homicides in China’s rural southern region. An enigmatic suspect known as Madman (Kang Chunlei) is believed to be behind the first murder of a local character referred to as Granny Four.
The setting of “Only the River Flows”, reminiscent of Jia Zhangke’s longing for the robust communism of earlier days, is in the early 1990s, a time when society and tactile procedural were still molded by age-old principles and analogue technology. Using a deserted cinema as his unit’s base of operations, Zhe believes crucial evidence may lie within a photograph. A cassette tape discovered near Granny Four’s remains sparks some inventive sleuthing.
The narrative thickens with a lovestruck poet, his covert girlfriend, and a youthful onlooker making the list of potential suspects, while local barber Wang Jianyu’s admission throws a wrench into the investigation. Our resolute hero is constantly outpaced by the elusive Madman, whilst his superior is seemingly more interested in table tennis.
In this enigmatic thriller, shot impressively in scarce light by Chengma using 16mm film, things are not as they initially appear. As the underappreciated main character begins to question his sanity, he struggles to locate an elusive merit certificate, and is further strained when his pregnant wife Bai (Chloe Maayan), upon learning that their unborn child could be born with a mental disability due to a genetic condition, declines termination.
Far from being a straightforward noir, this psychological thriller, which Kang Chunlei expertly adapted from an avant-garde postmodern novel into an unnerving genre film, shares parallels with Park Chan-Wook’s “Decision to Leave” and Bi Gan’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night”. This Asian neonoir reveals something sinister lurking beneath its surface.
The culmination of a brainteaser, surreal dream scenes, and perpetual hints of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata leads to an unsettling climax that keeps the onlooker pondering and engrossed well past the shows’ ending. Yilong Zhu’s captivating, hardened character, reminding us of a sceptical Agent Cooper without his beloved cherry pie, lies right at the heart of the storm. The film Only the River Flows can be viewed in movie theatres starting Friday, the 16th of August.