The gritty directorial debut by cinematographer Dong Yue recalls the modern classic Memories of Murder in its depiction of rural life during turbulent times. In 1997, a small industrial town is plagued by a serial killer. Factory worker and amateur sleuth Yu tries to solve the murders, much to the chagrin of the local police captain. He baits the killer into a game of cat and mouse that escalates to surreal proportions. Dong offers a profound neo-noir, while Duan Yihong (NYAFF 2017 Star Asia award recipient) grounds the film as Yu, an everyman struggling to climb out of the gutter.