In 1990s China, police chief Ma Zhe is dispatched to the small town of Banpo to investigate the murder of a woman whose body has been found in a local river. An arrest is swiftly made, much to the satisfaction of Ma Zhe’s superiors, but he suspects there may be more to the case. Filmed on gritty 16mm film, this atmospheric crime drama by prolific writer-director Wei Shujun is a stylish neo-noir, adapted from a short story by postmodernist author Yu Hua.

Reviews

‘It’s an often surreal, disquieting film, beautifully shot in shadow and rain, and with an unwavering, historically accurate commitment to cigarette smoking (almost nonstop, and even in between mouthfuls of noodles).’
★★★★
Kevin Maher, The Times

‘Bong Joon Ho’s later Memories of Murder is an obvious comparison point, for its similar mix of incomplete mysteries and probing of institutional mechanisms. But Wei maintains a highly individual, slippery and fascinating artistic sensibility all his own.’
★★★★
Josh Slater-Williams, Little White Lies