Adapted from Yu Hua’s novel Mistakes by the River, the third feature from Chinese writer-director Wei Shujun is set in the 1990s in the rural town of Banpo, Southern China. Ma Zhe (Zhu Yilong), chief of police (and father-to-be) investigates the brutal murder of an elderly woman whose body is found by the local river. An early arrest seems to resolve the case with alacrity, but Ma Zhe is frustrated by loose ends and continues the investigation. What begins as a seemingly routine police procedural develops into an exploration of the protagonist’s moral compass, and the endemic corruption of the society he serves. The film’s moody, rain-soaked imagery and chain-smoking detective allude to a typically stylish neo-noir, but Only the River Flows is a far more enigmatic, slippery, and ultimately haunting piece of work.

There will be Open Captioned screenings at 13.30 on Friday 16th, and 18.15 on Wednesday 21st.

Notes by David O’Mahony