Only the River Flows

1990s, Banpo Town, rural China: A woman’s body is found by the river. Dedicated detective (and expectant father) Ma Zhe is assigned to head up the case, which leads to an obvious arrest. His superiors are pleased, but Ma wants to delve deeper. Witnesses and suspects multiply and confuse, while further crimes take place, and Ma’s grip on reality within this rich, labyrinthine maze of clues begins to falter. Shot in grimy, grainy tones, deploying elements of surrealism, it’s a playful, unusual and wonderfully mysterious psychological journey.