Only the River Flows

The movie is actually based on a novel by Yu Hua... The plots and setting of this movie makes audience unable to predict the end... The absurdity will make looking forward to the end of the movie... It's a noir movie... Mind blowing and realism... I believe it took years before Wei Shujun could adapt this to a movie... My friend that attended the screening at Cannes told me how absurd it was and I should see it so... Seeing this, it is above my expectations because I actually don't really like Chinese movies, I base on Korean but seeing this, I look forward to see more of this nature of movies.. Nice Performance from Yilong Zhu and Maoyan Chloe.. it's actually worth given it a try👍

As I wrote in title, it miss some tension snd it's quite slow. At first, you feel like you're going to be speeding through the plot of the story, but no, your car just gets slower and slower. Although the actors are great, the story has some gaps for my taste. Maybe I expected too much?! Interesting is that in the story, the police decides to move their office rooms to one cinema, which they close on the question of his first intention, and it is showing films to the public. Maybe the author wanted to say something by that, generally speaking?! For sure director gives an atmospheric view with a careful recreation about the picture of China, where as in this movie most things are on the verge of disappearing as the summer factory that employs most of the characters, old restaurants, ping pong as the city's entertainment, semi-detached houses that are close to the river, but the point is that the river goes its way no matter what's going on.

This is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films of the year!

I have been following this film since the trailer and it is truly worth the ticket price and the time you pay.

Shujun Wei has made a brave and successful attempt. The film combines absurdity and reality in a perfect way to show the kind of life that was lived in the 90s.

Yilong Zhu's performance is amazing! I was introduced to this actor from China through this film and his handling of the role is vivid and eye-catching. He perfectly brings out the obsession and madness of a middle-aged cop.

In my opinion, this is absolutely excellent work and I look forward to their future works.

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.