Spring in a Small Town
D: Fei Mu
The individual in history
China 1948, 90 min, English subtitles
A ménage a trois of the most ingenious kind. Zhou Yuwen takes care of her disabled depressive husband without complaining. One day, however, a former classmate of his turns up unexpectedly; he was also the woman’s lover for a time. For a moment it looks as if their lives will degenerate into chaos. This film, which was kept under lock and key for being considered “bourgeois”, is now regarded as a classic of Asian cinema - even in China - because of its experimental character, its long shots and filmed stage scenes. The Hong Kong Film Critics’ Society awarded it the prize of “best Chinese language film of all times”.
The film will be introduced by Ulrich Gregor, former head of Internationales Forum des Jungen Films at the Berlin Film Festival
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…
