SUZHOU RIVER (SUZHOU HE) Asian New Classics

Suzhou River runs through the heart of Shanghai, carrying with it all the filth, excesses and stories the city has to offer. Follow it and you will see many things, even catching glimpses of things that have never been.

We see Suzhou through the eyes of a freelance videographer. He falls for Mei Mei, a go-go dancer who swims as a mermaid in a Shanghai club. Then the brooding Mardar shows up, announcing that Mei Mei is actually his lost love, Moudan. Mardar had been a Shanghai motorcycle courier. Assigned to take the teenage Moudan to her aunt while her father indulged in affairs, Mardar fell in love with her. But he made a mistake, lost her, and has been seeking her ever since.

Lou Ye’s luscious new film is reminiscent of VERTIGO, set in a place few of us will ever know.