Keswick Film Club - Only The River Flows

Synopsis

"Detective Ma Zhe wanders through the frames of Wei Shujun's period noir 'Only the River Flows', smoking cigarettes like carbon monoxide is actually his oxygen, almost always bedecked in his leather coat. These are the trademark symbols of a weary cop who has worked too long and seen too much" - Andy Crump, Paste Magazine.

Classic Film Noir then. Ma follows the clues down the river, trying to find the killer of an old woman discovered there. Is it the 'madman' his superiors want him to accuse, so that the case can be conveniently and quickly closed? Or is Ma's gut right that someone else is involved? Andy Crump goes on "It isn't just instinct that holds up the film's proceedings, either. It's Ma Zhe's impending fatherhood. Quietly, delicately, 'Only the River Flows' uses the madman as a foil for all of the anxieties baked into every new parent-to-be. A doctor tells Ma Zhe and his wife Bai Jie that there's a 10% chance that their baby will be born with a genetic defect that would stymie their cognitive growth; suddenly the madman ceases to be a mere murder suspect, and instead turns into a window for what Ma Zhe's unborn child might be like".

Ma starts to unravel himself as more dead bodies prove him right, but the case gets more confusing - "As he investigates the serial killings he uncovers hidden secret absurdities in seemingly ordinary villagers" - Alexa Dalby, Dog and Wolf, who goes on to say "'Only the River Flows' is involving, brilliantly visual and tantalisingly ambiguous". Sounds good to us!