Suzhou River

Suzhou River (苏州河, 2000) is a Chinese drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Lou Ye and shot on handheld video through the back-canal streets of Shanghai.

Mardar is a motorcycle courier who falls for Moudan, the teenage daughter of a smuggler. He betrays her to friends planning a kidnapping; she jumps from a bridge into the Suzhou River and disappears. Three years in prison. After his release, Mardar meets Meimei — a mermaid performer at a nightclub, played by Zhou Xun in a dual role, identical to the woman he lost. The film keeps that question deliberately open: is she her, or isn't she.

Lou Ye shot without government approval and was banned from filmmaking in China for two years as a result. The film picked up prizes at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. The Vertigo influence is obvious, but the setting — murky water, overnight deliveries, a Shanghai that feels half-erased — makes the obsession feel wholly its own. Stream Suzhou River (2000) online on iFILM.