An impressive neo-noir mystery from Chinese director Li Xiaofeng. It is a relatively unknown, but effective example of modern Chinese genre cinema, one with apparent arthouse sensibilities but still satisfying in a more classic narrative sense. Something like a Yiao Dinan film, but with its own style and pace.
OK, so first things first. This is a film that isn't very easy to follow if you go in blind. I really believe so because I personally found it hard to grasp how and why some events happened, and I read the summary and a few reviews before watching. So I advise you to arm yourself with patience and a clear mind before going in. Anyway, the story begins with a dead body found in a theatre. The case is handed to detective Chen, who quickly finds himself in a dead end and leaves the murder unsolved. Two more characters, a steelworker and medical student, enter the story at this point. What is their connection to the case? It's up to the viewer to discover. I will be silent about the plot from now on, but what needs to be mentioned is that the film intermingles these past events with the main narrative which takes place 10 years in the future. You follow these people in different stages in life as their stories unravel.
So, couple this complicated, sometimes messy non-linear narrative structure with a slow pace and you get a very intriguing, but not exactly accessible crime story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that's in big part thanks to the mesmerizing visual style, which bathes practically every scene in vivid colors. Oh and the camerawork is just splendid. Characters are tracked around beautiful painterly landscapes with remarkable fluidity. Really, it gets poetic at times, and works in favor of the noirish atmosphere that prevails throughout. The soundtrack also deserves a mention, it's minimalistic but always fitting.
If it was told as a straightforward narrative, this wouldn't be a very complex film. As it is, though, it remains a borderline abstract, yet never less than immersive neo-noir. Do check it out if you get the chance.
