An elegantly made drama, Springtime in a Small Town has already been favourably compared to the sumptuous delicacy of Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven and it's not hard to see why. A remake of a 1948 Chinese movie (which I haven't seen but is generally regarded as a classic), Springtime in a Small Town is set just after the second world war and sees Liyan (Wu Jun), a once wealthy man, now living on relatively meagre means with only one servant. Problems seem to be developing between Liyan and his wife Yuwen (Hu Jingfan), who grows more distant. An encounter with an old college friend, a doctor called Zhang (Xin Baiqing) lifts Liyan's spirits, however. But he isn't aware that Zhang was his wife's first love and upon meeting him again, she thinks her feelings for him may have been reawakened. Similarly, Zhang realises that he still loves Yuwen, despite efforts made to set him up with his sister Xiu (Lu Sisi).
Few films manage to articulate and sustain a mood of desperate longing in quite as effective a fashion as Zhuangzhuang has with this melancholic yet captivating movie. Gracefully shot in lengthy takes using sombre, beautifully arranged music to great effect, Springtime in a Small Town welds a beguiling, almost hypnotic power. Dialogue is used sparingly but Zhuangzhuang manages to create an unworldly atmosphere of isolation, while coaxing subtle performances from his actors. Marvellous.
