Mainland Chinese cinema, at least the part that founds its place in festivals, is usually intensely art-house. Jingwei Bu follows the same path in his 15-minute short, which seems to draw, a bit at least, from Hou Hsiao-hsien’s style.
A River Stifled is screening at Vienna Shorts
The short begins within a car, with news from the radio stating the disasters ice is causing in the area, due to ice floods. A man is seen in the car, who gets out and picks up who appears to be his teenager son, from prison. The father drives the car slowly on the ice and starts talking about the day his son was born, when they had to got through the same river in similar weather. It turns out the son’s name is Chunlei (Spring Thunder).
The next scene has the two in a public bath, with the father washing the son’s back. Chunlei then goes to buy a fan from a convenience store, but the owner does not have change to give him, so he just takes the fan anyway. As he goes back to his car, he overhears a discussion his father has on the phone, which does not sound exactly pleasant. Next they sit in a restaurant, where a girl is streaming live on her phone. Some looks are exchanged. The father informs his son that he had to give some money to his uncle in order to hire him in his factory. The aforementioned girl then comes to him while he is smoking outside.
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There is a sense of deadpan humor that borders on surrealistic humor, as the scene with the dancing highlights, in a very welcome relief to an otherwise bleak movie. In general, the interaction with the two youths is one of the most significant in the film, with the difference between people his age and Chunlei being eloquently portrayed, as much as his past is finally revealed. The alienation that he is about to experience after getting out from prison is also showcased, concluding the rather realistic comment about the lives of people who have spent time in prison
Cong Zhou’s cinematography includes some intriguing framing, as the one in the car or the one from the mirror in the baths, while frequently placing the characters on the borders of the frame, in a style that reminisces slightly of Hou Hsiao-hsien. The same similarities can be found in the final scene, where the son narrates what happened the day that had him going to prison, while a completely different scene is unfolding on the screen. The purpose to show the detachment Chunlei is experiencing, essentially from the rest of the world, is thus highlighted quite eloquently.
In general, the visuals of the short are impressive, with the different settings all being depicted in rather appealing fashion, either during the snowing day or the somewhat surreal night. The editing results in a leisure, slow pace, which suits the overall aesthetics here nicely.
Yue Xiaoke as Chunlei shows the discomfort and guilt his character experiences convincingly while Ma Ximan in the role of the influencer girl adds a very appealing note of feistiness and entertainment to the movie.
“A River Stifled” is a particularly well-shot short, which presents its story and the comments that derive from it quite eloquently.
