Only the River Flows () is a 2023 Chinese neo-noir crime drama film directed by Wei Shujun, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kang Chunlei based on Yu Hua's short novel Mistakes by the River. The film stars Zhu Yilong as a police chief investigating a series of murders in a riverside town in rural China in the 1990s.
The film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival. It was released theatrically in China on October 21, 2023. As of November 7, the total box office of the film is 301 million RMB, placing it among China's highest-grossing independent films.
Plot In 1995, police captain Ma Zhe investigates the murder of an elderly woman called Granny Four in a small riverside town in rural China. The main suspect is a mentally ill drifter she had adopted, known only as "the madman." During the investigation, Ma Zhe discovers a cassette tape containing emotional recordings between two secret lovers, Qian Ling and Wang Hong. The tape leads the police into hidden relationships, poetry gatherings, and clues about a mysterious woman with long wavy hair seen near the crime scene. Before the mystery is solved, Wang Hong is murdered in the same way as Granny Four, making the case more complicated.
As pressure from police superiors grows, Ma Zhe investigates several suspects, including Xu Liang, a troubled hairdresser with a criminal past who strangely keeps asking the police to arrest him. Meanwhile, the madman is institutionalized, and the authorities want the case closed quickly. Ma Zhe, however, feels the evidence does not fully fit together. At the same time, his personal life deteriorates. His wife's pregnancy may involve a genetic disorder in the baby, causing emotional conflict between them. Ma Zhe becomes increasingly obsessed, exhausted, and mentally unstable as he replays the cassette tapes and tries to understand the hidden connections between the murders.
The climax happens after the madman escapes from a psychiatric hospital and kills the young boy who first found Granny Four's body. During a final manhunt near an abandoned temple, Ma Zhe shoots and kills the madman. But afterward, he tells his chief that he believes the madman intentionally arranged events so that Ma Zhe himself would become the one to kill him. Despite Ma Zhe's doubts and confusion, the police officially declare the case solved, praise him as a hero, and award him a merit honor. The ending leaves the truth uncertain, with Ma Zhe psychologically damaged and unable to separate reality, coincidence, institutional pressure, and fate.
Cast
Zhu Yilong as Ma Zhe Chloe Maayan as Bai Jie Hou Tianlai as the Chief of Police Tong Linkai as Xie
Production Just before principal photography, the COVID-19 pandemic in China was surging again, and the entire cast and crew was put on lockdown. The team had around 45 days of preparation and approximately 45 days of shooting, and had to pause for two days when Wei and Zhu tested positive.
Principal photography began in Nanfeng, Jiangxi, on 19 December 2022, and wrapped in early February 2023. "The film was shot mostly in chronological order as same as in the script".
Zhu Yilong gained weight during the preparation to give the character a heavyset appearance from overwork. He lost 55 pounds during the 45 days of shooting as the shooting went on.
Almost the entire film was shot on 16 mm film.
Speaking to Amy Hawkins of The Guardian, Wei said of Yu's book the following: "A detective novel is supposed to be based on rationality and logic, [but in Mistakes by the River there is a] different understanding of rationality … we're thinking about the limits of rationality. I found that very appealing."
Release
World premiere
The film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on May 20, 2023.
Film festival entries
Film festivalDateAreaRef76th Cannes Film Festival: Un Certain RegardFrance40th Jerusalem Film Festival: International CompetitionIsrael2023 New Zealand International Film Festival New Zealand2023 Darwin International Film FestivalAustralia40th Manaki Brothers – International Cinematographers' Film FestivalMacedonia29th Athens International Film FestivalGreece42nd Vancouver International Film Festival: PanoramaCanada28th Busan International Film Festival: A Window on Asian CinemaSouth Korea67th BFI London Film FestivalEnglandBE2CAN 2023Czech Republic7th Pingyao International Film FestivalChina59th Chicago International Film FestivalUnited StatesClam, The International Social Film Festival of CataloniaSpain24th Newport Beach Film Fest: International SpotlightsUnited StatesAdelaide Film FestivalAustralia24th Bergen International Film FestivalNorway61st Vienna International Film FestivalAustria47th São Paulo International Film Festival: International PerspectiveBrazil14th Les Films de Cannes à BucarestRomania 2023: Official Panorama SectionSpain34th Stockholm International Film Festival: CompetitionSwedenThe International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage: Contemporary World CinemaPoland33rd Films from the South Festival: Spotlight ChinaNorway72th International Filmfestival Mannheim-HeidelbergGermanyQCinema International Film FestivalPhilippinesTokyo Filmex 2023Japan
Theatrical release
The film has been licensed for theatrical and home release in Northern America by KimStim and in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Picturehouse Entertainment.
DateAreaChinaAustralia
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Only the River Flows holds an approval rating of 89%.
Screen Daily stated "while ostensibly a noir, is a reminder of the alternative narrative perspectives and cinematic sophistication that have moved cinema forward in the past. Production design is pleasing and the cinematography is genuinely star-making". The Hollywood Reporter stated "Shame and secrecy seem to be the guiding principles at a time, and in a place, where obedience counted most, and Wei keenly observes how adhering to social norms could drive some people over the edge. Even if Ma Zhe winds up catching the killer, or at least the guy he believes the killer to be, it's a bitter victory, a source of private anguish despite his public triumph." Asia Movie Pulse stated "particularly the friction rising from the fact that their upcoming child will be born with a disorder. Ma Zhe repeatedly states that they are supposed to abort it, but his wife insists that 'her body, her decision', in a comment that echoes quite intently even today, but even more in the one-child policy in 90's China. The way this issue and the way the case unfolds shed light to the protagonist's character is probably the most appealing aspect of the movie." AwardsWatch also reviewed in favor on performance and cinematography after BFI London Film Festival by stating "Yilong gives a subtly excellent performance backed by an all-convincing ensemble that brings to life Shujun's murky, yet refined vision." "The beautifully dark look of Chengma Zhiyuan's 16mm cinematography gives the film a non-contemporary feel."
Accolades
Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Only the River Flows Jerusalem Film Festival International Competition Only the River Flows Manaki Brothers – International Cinematographers' Film Festival Official Selection: Silver Camera 300 Chengma Zhiyuan Pingyao International Film Festival Fei Mu Awards: Best Film Only the River Flows Chicago International Film Festival International Competition Only the River Flows Panorama: Best FilmOnly the River Flows Stockholm International Film FestivalStockholm CompetitionOnly the River Flows Tokyo Filmex 2023 Competition Grand Prize Only the River Flows
References
External links
Only the River Flows at MK2 Films Only the River Flows at KimStim