Springtime in a Small Town (2002)

Description

The eight-year marriage of Dai Liyan (Wu Jun) and Yuwen (Hu Jing Fan) has left them both unfulfilled and distant. An unexpected visitor arrives from Shanghai, a smartly-dressed doctor called Zhang Zhichen (Bai Qing). He's an old schoolfriend of Dai Liyan's and unbeknownst to her husband, Yuwen's childhood sweetheart. Delighted to be re-acquainted with Zhang, the husband believes that his cultivated guest would be a suitable match for his wife's lively schoolgirl sister, Dai Xiu (Lu Sisi). In turn, Yuwen believes that her former flame could be the solution to her own unhappiness. Elegantly shot in long takes and tracking shots by cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bing (In the Mood For Love, Mellennium Mambo), this is a tightly controlled tale of thwarted desires.