In Only the River Flows, nothing is as it seems… or is it?
Directed by Wei Shujun, Only the River Flows is set in Banpo Town, a town in rural China. After a woman is murdered by the river’s edge, Chief of Criminal Police Ma Zhe (Yilong Zhu) is called in to head up the investigation. Yet, even after an arrest is made, Ma Zhe isn’t satisfied. To him, the clues just don’t add up and he is forced to delve deeper into the unknown secrets of those around him.
Leaning into the deep dark secrets of Banpo Town, Only the River Flows is a gritty, psychological crime drama that keeps the viewer guessing. Bathing the screen in darkness, Shujun lays a heaviness upon the world he creates (and his characters as well). Light comes at a premium but rarely brightens the screen. At best, most scenes are lit through windows. At worst, Ma Zhe is left trying to work through the mystery in the midnight rain. In doing so, Shujun leaves the viewer with a loss of equilibrium. With each reveal, the weightier the burden upon his characters as they attempt to unravel what lies before them.
In essence, the further down the rabbit hole that Ma Zhe goes, the darker the film feels.
As the film unspools, one has to admit that Shujun has woven a tale that doesn’t entirely show its hand. Without giving away any spoilers, this is the sort of film that forces its characters to re-examine themselves. As he works through the evidence, Ma Zhe’s journey becomes one of the soul, eventually causing him to question the fabric of reality. While other characters care about accolades and, strangely, ping pong, his fixation with the case pushes him in a direction that one doesn’t expect at the film’s outset. To him, this murder becomes more than a case to be solved. It’s an obsession.
Ironically, though, River Flows really struggles with its conversations around mental health. This is a film that features a character known primarily as ‘the madman’ and the culture around him generally assumes the worst about him. However, because of Ma Zhe’s psychological struggles, River Flows finds a path through this sense of negative bias. (After all, by the film’s end, even he begins to wonder who the ‘madman’ truly is.)
Drenched in gloom and grime, Only the River Flows is the type of crime drama that is always willing to step into the shadows. Everyone in this town has secrets and Ma Zhe is left drowning amongst them. Nevertheless, this is also the type of world where the most intriguing crime dramas are grown. As it wades into its murderous waters, River Flows has more than enough story to tell in order to keep viewers interested throughout its runtime.
Only the River Flows is available in theatres in Toronto on Friday, August 9th and goes more widely throughout the month of August.
