

A father's grief becomes a border-town nightmare — and nobody's hands stay clean.
Hu Dengjie travels thousands of miles in search of his daughter's best friend, Ji Hong, to uncover the truth about his daughter's death. Along the way, he becomes caught up in a secret deal at the border.
Acting
Wang Yanhui's crumbling dignity in every frame.
Cinematography
Bleak border landscapes that swallow hope whole.
Direction
Liu Juan refuses to let you look away.

Director
Liu Juan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Liu Juan continues her fixation on China's marginalized border regions, where legal and moral boundaries blur into survival.
The title's 'river' references the Mekong, a waterway that both connects and divides lives along China's southern frontier.