Suzhou River (bc30)
蘇州河 (bc30)
If you love me, search for me until you die. For me, who became a mermaid.
7.3/10 Good 187 votes
- Released
- 17 Sep 2026
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Certificate
- Category IIA
- Original title
- 苏州河
- Language
- zh
The verdict
Audiences rate it 7.3 out of 10 on TMDB across 187 votes — a solid score. It is not currently playing in Hong Kong cinemas. Category IIA · 80 minutes.
What it is about
A motorcycle courier in his mid-twenties is asked to drive the 16- year-old daughter of a smuggler. They fall in love, but when she figures out that he is kidnapping her for a ransom, the heartbroken damsel jumps into the Suzhou river, and he is jailed for murder. Before she jumps. Before plunging in, she leaves behind a parting promise that she will turn into a mermaid and come back to find him. After his release he meets a dancer: her alter ego.
What to expect
Lou Ye shot this 80-minute Shanghai neo-noir on handheld video before the format was common, and the grain and jitter make the city feel like a third character — damp, cluttered, and indifferent. The plot turns on a courier who falls for a smuggler’s daughter, loses her to the Suzhou River, then meets a dancer who may be her double, but the movie spends less energy on the mystery than on the texture of longing itself. It is rated IIA, runs a tight 80 minutes, and screens with English subtitles. This is a limited re-release; check listings for the handful of venues carrying it. Audiences logged 7.3 from 187 votes, which reflects a polarising work that some find hypnotic and others thin.
Trailer
Cast
- Jia Hongshen
-
Zhou Xun
Meimei / Moudan -
Jia Hongsheng
Mardar -
Nai An
Xiao Hong -
Yao Anlian
Boss - Hua Zhongkai Lao B.
Crew
- Director Lou Ye
- Screenplay Lou Ye
- Original Music Composer Jörg Lemberg
- Director of Photography Wang Yu
- Editor Karl Riedl
- Producer Nai An
- Producer Philippe Bober
Common questions
- How long is the movie?
- 80 minutes.
- What is the Hong Kong certificate?
- IIA — suitable for ages 12 and above.
- What language is it in, and are there subtitles?
- The original dialogue is Mandarin. English subtitles are provided.
- Is this a wide release?
- No, it is a limited re-release. Check local listings for participating cinemas.
