Only the River Flows is a Chinese mystery thriller directed by filmmaker Shujun Wei and selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival 2023. Set in rural China in the 1990s, the film follows a detective who must solve a mysterious murder but becomes intrigued by the swift arrest of a suspect and the strange behavior of the locals. With an apt production design reflective of the era and filmed in 16mm to enhance its atmosphere of desolation, it is a captivating mystery that offers interesting reflections not only on systemic complicity but also on cinema itself.
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Chief Ma Zhe investigates a murder in rural China, uncovering hidden secrets and questionable arrests.
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1990s, Banpo Town, rural China. A woman’s body is found by the river. Ma Zhe, Chief of the Criminal Police, heads up the murder investigation that leads to an obvious arrest. His superiors hurry to congratulate him, but several clues push Ma Zhe to delve deeper into the hidden behaviour of his fellow citizens.