Damp Season

There's already talk of a 'Southern Wave', as one remarkable film after another, from Long Days Journey Into Night to Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, emerges from the (sub)tropical South of China. The characteristic hypnotic, clammy atmosphere of this wave is distinctly felt in the second feature film from Gao Ming from Shenzhen, who uses the dampness of early summer there as a lens through which to zoom in on the relationship between a young couple who grow apart, throwing themselves into the arms of others. She is an independent young woman who works in a florist's shop, he is an immature brooder working as a security guard. As their relationship hits a dead end – as so often, without them really noticing – the film focuses in on what is left unsaid and the meandering triviality of life, until that suddenly and unexpectedly regains direction. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)