Springtime in a Small Town

Ten years after his last film, the controversial and politically-challenging THE BLUE KITE, Tian Zhuangzhuang's return to film was more low-key than expected with a quiet and fairly faithful remake of a classic 1948 Chinese film of the same name; it's a small, beautiful romantic melodrama: In a small town in southern China in 1946, a well-respected Chinese family receives an unexpected but not unknown visitor. Within days, the meaning of friendship, honor and trust combine with stirrings of lust, sexuality and passion to bubble up from below the surface within the seemingly serene walls of the family's traditional courtyard home. Cinematography by Mark Li Ping-bing (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE).

"[Director] Tian gets superbly nuanced performances from an inexperienced cast and choreographs his ensemble scenes with considerable self-assurance.... Tian's movie seems to be among the finest expressions of the Chinese new wave." ~ J. Hoberman, THE VILLAGE VOICE