Springtime in a Small Town

China 2004, 116 min, English subtitles

A charming remake of the classic Spring in a Small Town dating from 1948: A ‘sedate, subtle, elegant, gorgeously-crafted, mature drama of barely-constrained passion concealed beneath an extravagantly crafted shell.’ (Shelly Kraicer, China Now Magazine) As in the original film, a doctor’s visit to a former friend and his wife causes an outburst of barely concealed emotion. Memories of the past – the visitor and the woman were lovers during their youth – continually threaten to upset the fragile harmony between the three. However, whereas the original film can be seen as a radical commentary on the collapse of China during the Civil War, the present version looks nostalgically back at a lost past, at a time before a civil war and the Cultural Revolution cut China off from its past. This remake raises a vital question: Is a human being who has been deprived of his history condemned to wander around aimlessly and full of anguish? Or does the effort involved in trying to connect up to the past cause even greater suffering?

The individual in history

History is always reflected in the fates of individuals: whether in the pre-Communist era of the ‘bourgeoisie’ or in that of the People’s Republic. A 4-year-old child, two prostitutes, a triangular relationship: human fates interconnect, disappear, life goes on…