Only the River Flows

A well made drama with great atmosphere, in which the investigation of one murder leads to more innocent deaths. It's at its strongest early on and when we start finding out the police detective may not have a firm grip on reality. Aside from the hallucination sequences, for example, he seems to think he's received an award in the past when no one else remembers it, and despite flushing pieces of his wife's jigsaw puzzle down the toilet during an argument, later she's assembled the whole thing. It really makes you wonder whether he's losing his mind, and between that and other plot elements that don't quite add up, there is ample room to interpret the film as you wish (which I confess felt like a slight negative here).

The characters we meet during the investigation include a docile but mentally challenged man referred to by the locals as "the madman," a pair of star-crossed lovers, and a hairdresser whose secret cross-dressing is one of the few things in the film that you can see coming a mile away. The cop's pregnant wife who asserts her right to choose the infant's fate in no uncertain terms when told it has a 10% chance of being mentally defective is also a rare moment we feel on solid ground in the film, and it was a fantastic scene besides.

The cop's ping-pong loving superior officer urges him to consider the case closed, though a dream sequence in the theater seems to point out just how absurd it is to think "the madman" is behind it all - but then what about the murder of the child with an eyewitness? And why would the hairdresser commit suicide, after surviving a first attempt and being in great spirits literally moments before? Could the cop himself be somehow involved, suffering from some mental defect that he's going to pass on to his infant son? Or could the river itself harbor some form of malevolent spirt, driving people to violence, despair, or insanity?

There are lots of questions here, but just like with the jigsaw puzzle, director Wei Shujun seems to have thrown away a few pieces, leaving us to decide for ourselves. The fact that the cop gets the award he seemed to be deluded about makes really made me wonder how much of this is distorted, or in his mind. That look in the baby's eye was certainly ominous, and maybe an indication that there's some larger, unknowable evil afoot. I just wish this had been a smidge more coherent.

Only the River Flows followed police investigator Ma Zhe (Zhu, Yilong Yilong Zhu), in the 90s China, trying to solve a murder case, with an "obvious" yet not so convincing suspect, the victim's adopted son, a man with mental illness. The movie developed into a psychological journey that was deeply intense and hard to resist. Intermingled with Ma Zhe's own life struggles, the psychological journey was painted with layers of unbelievable hues and shades, in contrast to the movie's desaturated color theme and tone. Are you saying it takes a crazy man to get a crazy man, literally?

As a neo-film nior, the movie shared many aspects of this genre. It also has absurdism and realism contrasting and complementing each other, just like the seemingly muted everyday life in the 90s which was actually during the turmoil of some of the biggest changes of China.

Bravo to Wei, Shujun Wei Shujun's cinema work, to the accuracy of a small town in 90s China, and to Zhu, Yilong Yilong Zhu's vivid portraying of a middle aged policeman dealing with madness from every aspects of his life.

In my humble opinion, a very special movie and a must-see.

Really and Excellent Film Worth Watching. Fantastic in every level, especially cinematography and acting. The portrayal of a rural town in 90's China is AMAZING. I lived during those years and the realism is mesmerizing. The attention to detail is out of this world. Even the yellow lamps, which were so common at the time, the thermos, the black leather suits, gooses roaming around the streets, the haircuts, everything is just PERFECT. Honestly, I have come to IMDB to check if the movie was really made in the 1990's or when.. just to make sure. I felt transported to a time in my life, a time that meant so much to me, that taught me and made me who I am. Wonderful Cinematography indeed. Acting was also PERFECT, the way you see those characters, their interactions, their dialogues... that was the way how men and women where! How could i forget? The realism in acting is off the chart. The story is also great, although for me, the brilliant, flawless cinematography and superb acting skills from all the actors involved is what makes me admire and appreciate "Only the River Flows." In fact, its a movie that i'd want to watch again, as it is still being show at SM City Cinema. In conclusion, I enjoyed and liked this filming effort 100%, and I would like to recommend it to you. I don't think you'd get disappointed, unless you were expecting a police movie filled with shootings and fights. This is none of that. There is police work, but its mostly from the psychological point of view and how china's society of the time could be at times hard to handle. We have to remember that those were years of huge transformations. It was right before china's big Deng Xioaping opening. Things were still pretty much centralized and face and obedience were paramount in every way of society. This movie is really a perfect portrayal of how china was during those years. Trust me, I lived them. It is how it was. But, even though for young generations it might seem nuts, the truth is it was not. It was awesome, I loved my live in the 90's China. My years were in rural Changsha, in Hunan province. So similar. Even the river as big part of the town is just exactly how it was. I loved those years, always will, and this movie is just WONDERFUL! (my humble opinion)

The movie is actually based on a novel by Yu Hua... The plots and setting of this movie makes audience unable to predict the end... The absurdity will make looking forward to the end of the movie... It's a noir movie... Mind blowing and realism... I believe it took years before Wei Shujun could adapt this to a movie... My friend that attended the screening at Cannes told me how absurd it was and I should see it so... Seeing this, it is above my expectations because I actually don't really like Chinese movies, I base on Korean but seeing this, I look forward to see more of this nature of movies.. Nice Performance from Yilong Zhu and Maoyan Chloe.. it's actually worth given it a try👍

Reviews from the premiere was exciting so glad I got the replay ticket on 22 May at the Cannes festival. No spoilers.

Actor Zhu Yilong was fantastic in portraiting the character Ma Zhe and gave some very powerful and mesmerizing scenes. One can feel the emotional turmoil of Ma Zhe as the storyline unfold. An amazing young and gifted actor. I look forward in checking out his other movies.

The cinematography was fabulous. Many great scenes composition and the final grading set a good tone on the mood.

The bgm blended well and compliment the movie story development.

Only the River Flows is a well made movie taking a deep dive into human nature and self reflection.