The Cover

In post-war China, Liyan is sickly and weak, his face betraying his inner turmoil. Stumbling around his ill-tended estate, Liyan looks a lot more like an old man. At least more than his thirty-something years. He lives with his young wife Yuwen, but it's clear that they're relationship is chilly at best. If that wasn't enough, matters are complicated further when a doctor, Zhang comes to the town in order to tend to Liyan. It's clear that the doctor and the man's wife know each other. Deeply. Truly. In the most specific sense of the word and that their relationship was never really resolved to either of their satisfaction.

It's obvious that their courtship is out of the desperation of each of their situations, but it's also obvious that no one sees it coming. At one point, Liyan suggests that they hook Zhang up with his little sister. She's ready to be married (aka, 18 years old) in a few years time. The couple happily talks about this situation, proving just how clueless Liyan is about the situation.

Springtime in a Small Town is a small drama, but certainly engaging in its own way. So it won't be watched on a Saturday night with all your friends, but its deliberate and specific pace may prove to be exactly what you need in order to contemplate about your own life and relationship.

Movie Grade: B+

Yuwen reflects on her future and past.

Video and Audio: 4 out of 5
It's a beautiful transfer or a pretty new film with no signs of dirt and noise and very little grain. The audio is almost exclusively dialogue, but it certainly gets that part of the job done quite well.
Widescreen Anamorphic - 1.85:1 / Chinese (Dolby 5.1)

Extras: 3.5 out of 5
There are a few interesting extras, the best being an hour-long making of . It gives some really great information about the genesis of the film, the struggles of the director with his previous films and his filmic style. The only other extra related to the film is a radio interview of an NPR show in NY. It's pretty good, is focused and short, so it's worth a listen for anyone interested in more information about the film. Other than that, there's some scattered trailers and previews.

Overall: 3 out of 5
For anyone interested in intelligent, and well composed foreign film, this one is a no brainer. However, the subject matter and plotting might be a little too slow for people who think "Snatch" is a foreign film.

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