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      Only the River Flows

      2023 1h 41m Drama Crime Mystery & Thriller List
      91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 1990s small town China. A woman's body washes up in the local river. The chief of police, Ma Zhe, is tasked with heading up the investigation. An obvious perp leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe's mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here? Director Wei Shujun's murky throwback film noir, gritty, textured film grain captures the pulpy proceedings. Torrents of rain envelop the characters as they descend into madness in pursuit of the truth. Equal parts atmospheric tour-de-force and beguiling puzzler, Only the River Flows is a masterfully styled ode to a bygone cinematic era and a sharp-edged portrait of provincial paranoia. The film, starring Zhu Yilong, is based on Yu Hua's popular short novel Mistakes by the River. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Fionnuala Halligan Screen International Structurally inventive, if not downright format-twisting, it takes a Jacob’s Ladder to 1990s China, where a beleaguered police detective tries so hard to unravel a killing that he spins himself into seeming madness. May 20, 2023 Full Review Jordan Mintzer Hollywood Reporter Like the investigation itself, the meaning of Only the River Flows gradually finds its focus as the story progresses, leaving the viewer staring into the same abyss the detective does -- an abyss that, as in any respectable film noir, stares back at him. May 20, 2023 Full Review John Lui The Straits Times (Singapore) This dive into the psyche of a troubled cop in rural 1990s China is a well-paced and compelling addition to the library of noir detective stories. Rated: 4/5 Jan 25, 2024 Full Review Nicolás Medina FIPRESCI Only the River Flows brought noir to French theaters with the story of a detective obsessed with a murder that drives him to madness, while reflecting on the idea of storytelling itself. Rated: 8/10 Jan 7, 2024 Full Review Alexa Dalby Dog and Wolf Only the River Flows is involving, brilliantly visual and tantalisingly ambiguous. Rated: 4/5 Oct 12, 2023 Full Review Ben Rolph AwardsWatch Wei Shujun’s latest is a mysterious and engrossing neo-noir that marks a great return to the subgenre for Chinese cinema. Rated: B+ Oct 6, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis 1990s small town China. A woman's body washes up in the local river. The chief of police, Ma Zhe, is tasked with heading up the investigation. An obvious perp leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe's mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here? Director Wei Shujun's murky throwback film noir, gritty, textured film grain captures the pulpy proceedings. Torrents of rain envelop the characters as they descend into madness in pursuit of the truth. Equal parts atmospheric tour-de-force and beguiling puzzler, Only the River Flows is a masterfully styled ode to a bygone cinematic era and a sharp-edged portrait of provincial paranoia. The film, starring Zhu Yilong, is based on Yu Hua's popular short novel Mistakes by the River.
      Director
      Wei Shujun
      Producer
      Xiaohui Tang, Xufeng Huang
      Screenwriter
      Chunlei Kang, Wei Shujun
      Production Co
      KXKH FILM, Hangzhou Dangdang Film
      Genre
      Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
      Runtime
      1h 41m
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)