Some murder mysteries lose their allure when the killer’s identity is revealed. Only the River Flows is not that kind of movie.
Chinese director Wei Shujun’s film has the atmospherics, open-endedness and enigma that are often missing from the usual blunt-edged procedural. Only the River Flows (2023), adapted from acclaimed Chinese writer Yun Hua’s novel Mistakes by the River, is a cerebral crime drama that alludes to the changes sweeping across rural China in the 1990s.
Only the River Flows is set in 1995 in a village, where a flowing river proves to be the only element that is predictable. An old woman is clubbed to death by the riverside. The police chief instructs detective Ma Zhe (Zhu Yilong) to solve the case quickly.
An abandoned cinema hall is repurposed as the investigation unit. The strict, taciturn and chain-smoking Ma Zhe quickly arrives at the modus operandi, but he’s flummoxed when there are more murders. Is a serial killer at work?
Ma Zhe isn’t satisfied with the person designated as the perpetrator. His probe carries on even after he has submitted his official report, amidst his wife’s difficult pregnancy and pressure from his superiors.
The Mandarin-language film is available on Prime Video. The murder investigation in Only the River Flows expands into a subtly allegorical portrait of a fast-changing but also timeless China.
Hierarchy, the emphasis on conformity and individual achievement all play a part in Ma Zhe’s probe. An audio tape that lovers use to communicate, the sighting of a long-haired woman, the elderly victim’s adoption of a mentally challenged man – these are clues not just into the killings but also the prevalent value system in an authoritarian, rule-bound country.
Cinematographer Zhiyuan Chengma brilliantly captures the period detail, with the use of 16mm film stock adding texture and layers to the plot. Chengma’s contribution is felt not just in the noirish scenes but also in the moments between Ma Zhe and his wife.
Zhu Yilong makes a fine policeman, as mysterious as his target. The ending of Only the River Flows raises questions rather than supplying pat answers. It’s that kind of movie.
Also start the week with these films:
Why ‘Alappuzha Gymkhana’ is and isn’t about boxing
Black Dog’ is a poignant tale of feral dogs and stray humans
In ‘One of Them Days’, two women go to hilarious lengths to pay the rent
