← Back to the films

Drama

Spring in a Small Town

小城之春

Year
1948
Director
Fei Mu
Length
93 minBFI 93-minute programme presentation Version sources ↓

An old friend’s visit unsettles a marriage already living among the ruins of war.

Search for a copy ↓ Before you watch ↓

Amazon.com search · paid link. Check the edition and region before buying.

Country
China
GentleRomanticBleak Great first watch · Moderate Drama
Spring in a Small Town: Two cups rest in a weathered window overlooking a quiet courtyard in blossom.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

What to expect

Fei Mu turns a small household into a chamber drama of desire, duty, and exhaustion. Voiceover, measured movement, and damaged architecture keep private emotion connected to a wider post-war condition.

How to ease in

The drama is intentionally restrained. Follow who walks with whom, where each conversation takes place, and how the ruined walls change the feeling of home.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Includes marital unhappiness, illness, emotional infidelity, despair, and suicidal behaviour.
Momo's Note May contain spoilers Who is Momo? →
Open the note ↓ Close the note ↑

Everyone leaves their true feelings unsaid, so I found myself holding my breath too. Speak and the household may collapse; remain silent and someone slowly wears away. Looking through the broken walls, I felt that neither choice could return them to where they had been.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Credits & versions

Credits
Screenplay
Li Tianji
Production
Wenhua Film Company

Version map

Where to go next

Want a gentler, shorter, or stranger next film? Ask Momo for something like this →
Momo is on shift. Visit Momo Cinema →

Continue through the catalogue →