In Search of Echo
Somewhat struggling to find anything great to watch, I remembered Zhang's Annular Eclipse and decided to dig deeper into his oeuvre. To my surprise, his first film (In Search of Echo) was readily available, so I decided to dive right in. I'm a bit disappointed it didn't seem to have caught anyone's attention when it was first released, as this is a film that had the potential to do a lot better. Fans of Bi Gan (or Chinese arthouse in general) should take notice and make an effort to catch up with In Search of Echo as it's unlikely to disappoint.
As an avid fan of Asian cinema, I find it increasingly difficult to predict which films and directors will eventually find an appreciative international audience (beyond the established names). Chi Zhang's work seems relatively accessible to me, a film like In Search of Echo in particular should've been relatively easy to market to Western arthouse crowds, but apart from winning some prize at a Russian film festival nobody seemed to take an interest. And so films like this quickly disappear from view, leaving it up to chance for some unsuspecting souls to rediscover them.
In Search of Echo is one of those films with a strong arthouse foundation, though unafraid to borrow minor elements from various genre niches to inject a bit of extra appeal. It's a character study about a relationship gone wrong, but it's also a murder mystery set on a remote island. It's a drama first and foremost but not without adding some crime and mystery bits, making for a slightly more dreamier, surreal vibe. The genre elements are subtle and the pacing is decidedly slow, so core genre fans shouldn't blindly jump on this one, but there's enough there to give the classic arthouse take a little spin.
Zhu is a respected actor, but roles are getting scarcer and he struggles to find anything he can commit to. To reconnect with himself, he undertakes a solo trip to the island where he first met his wife. It's a remote place that is all about small fisheries. The people living there don't often get visitors and they're wrapped up in their little dramas. Zhu wanders around and connects with the locals he bumps into, while reminiscing about the old days, hoping to piece together the events that led to his current predicament. But the darkness hiding deep within Zhu needs a release.
The cinematography is virtually impeccable. The film has a somewhat cold and mysterious air to it, the bluish color palette (only occasionally penetrated by neon purples) creates a sullen vibe, whereas the stark and often asymmetrical framing makes for some beautiful and memorable shots. It's a little expected maybe, sticking to what is known to work, but when the result is this capable that's hardly an issue. Zhang is one of those directors who puts a lot of focus on the visuals, which makes his films a lot more palatable for someone like me.
The score is decent, a slight step up from similar films, but still very much within the realm of the expected. The sound design is moody and mysterious, to help with the genre elements, but the score is very much stuck within the drama wheelhouse. That means you'll get a more subdued selection of tracks mostly reliant on piano and string sounds. It's certainly not bad, but it's a bit too generic to make a sizeable impact. Films like these could and should do more to leverage the music to their advantage, but as long as the music doesn't distract it's not too big of an issue.
The performances are more than solid, though no one single actor jumps out. This doesn't matter so much for the genre portion of the film, but I do wish I felt a bit more connected to the lead and the people he encounters on the island. The drama did leave me a little indifferent and thinking back of the actors and their characters it's difficult to remember too many specifics. They are mostly there to fulfill their parts in the narrative, and in that, they do a proper job, but there's not much beyond or on top. That's just a minor criticism though.
Despite being a relatively straightforward film, the film does its best to add a layer of mystery through obfuscation of the plot. While the setup is simple enough, the more that is revealed to the audience, the more narrative strands need to be pieced together. And not all of them make immediate sense. It's an interesting example of how to cut up a basic plot to add a little extra intrigue. Not everyone will appreciate this, it does detract from the drama and you could call it unnecessarily confusing, but I quite liked it and it kept me more engaged throughout.
Chi Zhang's first is a film I wish I'd seen earlier. I felt it wasn't quite as special as Annular Eclipse, but I Search of Echo is still a very impressive and worthy film where Zhang does his best to put his skills and qualities on display. The superb cinematography and lovely sound design bring the unique setting to life and form the perfect foundation for a stylish drama with light genre elements embedded. I hope Chi Zhang is able to continue his winning streak, as he is one of the few to aptly bridge the gap between genre and arthouse in China.