Only The River Flows

Synopsis

1990s, Banpo Town, rural China. A woman’s body is found by the river. Ma Zhe, Chief of the Criminal Police, heads up the murder investigation that leads to an obvious arrest. His superiors hurry to congratulate him, but several clues push Ma Zhe to delve deeper into the hidden behaviour of his fellow citizens. He faces challenges that make his job even harder: his team is incompetent, the locals are cagey, and his wife is going through a difficult pregnancy. Shame and secrecy are rampant and the killer takes full advantage of it. The detective’s grasp of reality begins to falter. This thriller brings back the narrative sophistication of classic Chinese filmmakers and addresses the darkness of the human soul.