Only the River Flows

Director Wei Shujun is one of the most anticipated Chinese directors at Cannes every year, because he really never disappoints. From his witty and humorous film "Striding into the Wind" which was shortlisted for the Director's Fortnight two years ago and received rave reviews at Cannes, this time he brought a different style of black film to the "A Certain Regard" section, which was like a shot in the arm, awakening the tired international critics. The film successfully adapted the work of teacher Yu Hua and had a strong Wei-style personal style, highly restoring the sense of the 90s in China, with a bleak realistic theme supplemented by magical dream segments, and sudden absurd scenes that even made the audience scream in surprise. Some of the ending segments seemed like clues deliberately left by the director, like the godly drama "The Long Season", which made me want to watch it again after seeing it. Ting shuo kan guo cai neng ping fen wo mei kan guo shi yi shi.

Ever since the launch of the trailer, it has been a movie that I've been looking forward to and indeed it's worth the 101 mins in the cinema!

Nothing bad and you will definitely be glued to it. It is by far one of the best movie ever! On this note, I would like to specially highlight actor Zhu Yilong who played as Ma Zhe in the movie. Who would have thought that he could be so rugged and different from his usual self that always appears on screen.

Kudos to the team for making such a wonderful movie! It's definitely a MUST to watch!

I watched the red carpet live broadcast of the Cannes International Film Festival on May 20th. Zhu Yilong's appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival is completely different from what he saw in the movie!

Reviews from the premiere was exciting so glad I got the replay ticket on 22 May at the Cannes festival. No spoilers.

Actor Zhu Yilong was fantastic in portraiting the character Ma Zhe and gave some very powerful and mesmerizing scenes. One can feel the emotional turmoil of Ma Zhe as the storyline unfold. An amazing young and gifted actor. I look forward in checking out his other movies.

The cinematography was fabulous. Many great scenes composition and the final grading set a good tone on the mood.

The bgm blended well and compliment the movie story development.

Only the River Flows is a well made movie taking a deep dive into human nature and self reflection.

Really and Excellent Film Worth Watching. Fantastic in every level, especially cinematography and acting. The portrayal of a rural town in 90's China is AMAZING. I lived during those years and the realism is mesmerizing. The attention to detail is out of this world. Even the yellow lamps, which were so common at the time, the thermos, the black leather suits, gooses roaming around the streets, the haircuts, everything is just PERFECT. Honestly, I have come to IMDB to check if the movie was really made in the 1990's or when.. just to make sure. I felt transported to a time in my life, a time that meant so much to me, that taught me and made me who I am. Wonderful Cinematography indeed. Acting was also PERFECT, the way you see those characters, their interactions, their dialogues... that was the way how men and women where! How could i forget? The realism in acting is off the chart. The story is also great, although for me, the brilliant, flawless cinematography and superb acting skills from all the actors involved is what makes me admire and appreciate "Only the River Flows." In fact, its a movie that i'd want to watch again, as it is still being show at SM City Cinema. In conclusion, I enjoyed and liked this filming effort 100%, and I would like to recommend it to you. I don't think you'd get disappointed, unless you were expecting a police movie filled with shootings and fights. This is none of that. There is police work, but its mostly from the psychological point of view and how china's society of the time could be at times hard to handle. We have to remember that those were years of huge transformations. It was right before china's big Deng Xioaping opening. Things were still pretty much centralized and face and obedience were paramount in every way of society. This movie is really a perfect portrayal of how china was during those years. Trust me, I lived them. It is how it was. But, even though for young generations it might seem nuts, the truth is it was not. It was awesome, I loved my live in the 90's China. My years were in rural Changsha, in Hunan province. So similar. Even the river as big part of the town is just exactly how it was. I loved those years, always will, and this movie is just WONDERFUL! (my humble opinion)

Lens: 16mm film movies are really not easy It has a very cinematic texture, composition, colors, perfect camera language, and metaphorical expression art, which perfectly fits this somewhat bizarre and absurd story. There are no unnecessary narrative techniques at all. Excellent artistry, the atmosphere brought by the screen is excellent!

Music: This movie doesn't have a lot of music, but it's all perfectly chosen. And most importantly, when you finish watching the music in the movie and hear it again, a very strange feeling arises, as if the story of Ma Zhe and his is floating in your mind again, bringing you back to the story of the movie like a movie. Many of the things conveyed by the camera seem to be experienced in an instant.