Only the River Flows

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Only the River Flows

Released Jul 26, 2024

1h 41m

Drama

Crime

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

50%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Critics Consensus

Drenched in atmosphere and riveting even as its procedural plotline gets subsumed within a surreal headspace, Only the River Flows is a startling showcase for leading man Zhu Yilong.

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Philip De Semlyen

Time Out

The pre-cellphone, pre-internet setting is a satisfying time capsule back to an era when on-screen detectives worked on hunches and their wits. In this enigmatic tale, they may not be enough.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2024

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Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

It was really atmospheric, melancholic, and visually arresting...

Aug 20, 2024

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Offbeat flashes of humour punctuate this stylishly enigmatic, Jean-Pierre Melville-inspired crime picture, but the momentum flags a little in a convoluted final act.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 19, 2024

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Dave Golder

Radio Times

Shot on 16mm film, the result is a highly cinematic and subversive exploration of order and disorder, where the film-making breaks all the rules of the genre it draws on.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 11, 2025

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Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

“Only The River Flows” reminded me of David Fincher’s “Zodiac” in the way it provides both the thrill of a police procedural while denying us the catharsis of a resolution.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 25, 2024

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Michael Wood

London Review of Books

Wei is not going to tell us, but he invites us to think that the answer to our question may lie neither in probable history nor in fantasy but in absurdist philosophy or certain modes of detective fiction.

Oct 7, 2024

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Jens B

"Only the River Flows" captures the eye from the very beginning: Grainy 16mm Kodak Vision3 images vividly capture the foggy, cold village atmosphere. Overall, the microcosm of characters and motifs is very elegantly staged and leaves you wanting more. It's just a shame that nothing happens story-wise. Don't get me wrong; I like slow-paced, atmospheric crime dramas. But this one really bored me at times.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

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Stephen C

Failure in 1 hour and 41 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

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Dmitry N

The plot becomes a bit incoherent in the second half, and cinematographic allusions are perhaps overabundant, but the visuals are stunning throughout, and the characters are believable.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

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patrick b

I didn't see what most others saw about this plodding film noir.First of all.this uber- genre of crime procedurals has been done to death (every pun intended) and this was a self consciously dour example of this - hence the 16mm.'effect'.Effects do not the film make although.most critics think so.It just looked cheap to.me.It was full of stereo types , the weary chain smoking detective.could have been Wallander or a dozen others, the loving home life (devoted pregnant wife/ life.v death stereotype.The lazy' who did it' madman in the village and the real clichéd Police Boss dim -witted/self satisfied and waiting to pick up his pension.It was a blatant.attempt 'art house.made ' for a western audience or orientalism The Chinese.who.as we know are brilliant at reproducing western products and selling them back to us.If you.want to see an authentic Chinese film that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party).would choke on watch.Return.to.Dust. Pb

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/24

Full Review

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Wei Shujun

Director

Yilong Zhu

Ma Zhe

Chloé Maayan

Bai Jie

Tianlai Hou

Chief of Police

Tong Lin Kai

Xie

Chunlei Kang

Screenwriter

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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
Distributor: KimStim
Production Co: Hangzhou Dangdang Film, KXKH FILM
Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 41m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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