Springtime in a Small Town

From China

Dedicated to the pioneers of Chinese cinema, this is the first film in a decade from director Tian Zhuangzhuang (Horse Thief, The Blue Kite). A lovingly crafted remake of a 1940s Chinese classic, made just before the Communist revolution, it explores a love triangle in a provincial town the year after war has ended with Japan. The eight-year marriage of Dai Liyan and Yuwen has left them both unfulfilled and the couple now sleep in separate rooms in the semi-ruined family home. An unexpected visitor arrives from Shanghai, a smartly-dressed doctor called Zhang Zhichen. He’s an old schoolfriend of Dai Liyan and a childhood sweetheart of Yuwen. The husband believes that his cultivated guest would be a suitable match for his wife’s lively schoolgirl sister. In turn, Yuwen believes that her former flame could be the solution to her own unhappiness. This tightly controlled tale of thwarted desires subtly conveys the suppressed longings hidden beneath polite façades. –Tom Dawson, BBC

China, 2002, 116 min., color, in Mandarin with English subtitles • Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang • Writer: Ah Cheng, based on the story by Li Tianji and the 1948 film adaptation by Fei Mu • Cast: Hu Jingfan, Wu Jun, Xin Baiqing • 2002 Venice Film Festival Winner: San Marco Prize

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