- 2024
- Kimstim Films
- 1 h 41 m
Summary1990s small town China. A woman’s body washes up in the local river. The chief of police, Ma Zhe, is tasked with heading up the investigation. An obvious perp leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe’s mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here?
Directed By:Wei Shujun
Written By:Chunlei Kang, Wei Shujun, Hua Yu
Only the River Flows
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Mixed or Average
6.0
My Score
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
69% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
31% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 31, 2024
100
Only the River Flows — based on the novel Mistakes by the River by Yu Hua — runs a tight 102 minutes but crams a lot of atmosphere into that time, moments of high drama interspersed with bizarre humour.
Aug 22, 2024
80
Wei maintains a highly individual, slippery and fascinating artistic sensibility all his own.
Aug 15, 2024
80
A jigsaw puzzle, dream sequences and continuous snatches of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata build towards an uneasy denouement that will leave the viewer guessing and obsessing long after the final credits roll.
Jul 26, 2024
79
Shujun’s script, co-written with Yu Hua and Kang, eschews any viewer hand-holding, keeping its messages and themes backgrounded; if there is a greater context for the film’s plot, perhaps it lies in its depiction of law enforcement in mainland China, and the toll police work takes on the people conducting it, though Western critics lacking background in contemporary Chinese social and political mores can at best only speculate at best.
Jul 26, 2024
63
The craft brought to bear on Only the River Flows is captivating, but when it comes to matters of story, it cultivates a frustrating air of disinterest.
Aug 14, 2024
60
This film is an intriguing and well-made diversion, a puzzle whose missing pieces make a disquieting pattern.
Jul 25, 2024
50
As Only the River Flows follows its winding course, the movie seems to lose its grip not merely on the mystery but on its protagonist, becoming less psychologically penetrating and more haphazardly hallucinatory. Looking for clues, we find only the fragments of a fractured mind.
User score
Mixed or Average
6.0
33% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
17% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jul 22, 2025
6
"Only the River Flows" captures the eye from the very beginning: Grainy 16mm Kodak Vision3 images vividly capture the foggy, cold village atmosphere. Overall, the microcosm of characters and motifs is very elegantly staged and leaves you wanting more. It's just a shame that nothing happens story-wise. Don't get me wrong; I like slow-paced, atmospheric crime dramas. But this one really bored me at times.
Report
Oct 24, 2024
3
Gosto do tom escuro, de como parece que a chuva cai nos momentos mais apropriados, conferindo beleza aos cenários, e das interpretações contidas. Os crimes nunca soam alarmistas. E talvez aí resida seu demérito, ser excessivamente frio. O desenrolar vai acontecendo e lá pelas tantas você nem se importa com mais nada ou mais ninguém, tamanha a frieza e distanciamento humano do material. Para muitos vai soar como um filme policial não arraigado a clímax do gênero. Para outros (para mim), um filme arrastado e sem graça, até mesmo sem reviravolta e surpresas, linear demais e desinteressante demais.
Report
Production Company:
- Hangzhou Dangdang Film
- KXKH FILM
Release Date:Jul 26, 2024
Duration:1 h 41 m
Awards
Golden Carp Film Award
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
Weibo Awards Ceremony
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
China Video Award
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
