From the organizer: Many men live and work on Suzhou River, busy with their heavy routine. Others are driven by love and obsession and wander for years along its banks to catch a mermaid.

This is the case of Mardar, a motorbike courier who was regularly tasked by a local criminal to bring his girl, Moudan, to his Auntie’s. As the days and the rides pass by, the two strangers fall in love. But Mardar is caught up in a kidnapping scheme that ends up in Moudan jumping in the river and disappearing… after cursing Mardar.
Years later, after a stint in prison, Mardar returns to Shanghai and in one of the river’s nightclubs, he encounters the mermaid Meimei. The resemblance with Moudan is a shock to the courier and he rapidly becomes obsessed with her…

Opening the film with a mix of close-ups, medium shots and lots of movements - that will probably remind you Wong Kar Wai's camera in Chungking Express - Lou Ye directly immerses us in the post-industrial sleazy climate that prevails along the Suzhou River in the 1990s.

Director: Lou Ye
Released: 2000
Runtime: 82 min
IMDB rating: 7.5/10
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_wg6TrB9d4
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0234837/