Chinese noir hit premieres in UK

The director of a gritty noir film that became a surprise hit in China hopes his work will translate to Western audiences as it premieres in the UK. Based on a novel by the avant-garde writer Yu Hua and shot on celluloid, Only the River Flows follows an idealistic, world-weary detective investigating a woman’s murder in the rural community of Banpo in the 1990s, whose quest leads him to reckon with the hidden behavior of the town’s inhabitants.

Beijing native Wei Shujun told The Guardian of the challenges of breaking through internationally. “When you introduce Chinese culture, you have to eliminate a stereotype,” he said, adding that many viewers’ “impression of China is a kung-fu film.”