Atmospheric and immersive 东北 noir that is worth pairing with "漫长的季节?" released in the same year for watching. Both are shows illustrating the long-term effects of trauma and manufacturing recession in Northern China and fractured familial dynamics. I love that both shows have movie length episodes, a rarity in this age of Douyin/TikTok shorts.
IMO, the mystery itself and characters are not what you come to for this show. Instead, it's the setting, which the production design does a killer job to immerse you in, taking you authentically to multiple time periods of 东北 in Chinese history. The characters are rather impenetrable, icy, and alien. There's no fun interaction between characters. But, the lack of connection and attachment is also a point of the show in demonstrating the effect of trauma, Chinese history, and economic recession in impeding communication, empathy, warmth, and close ties. The show is bleak, nihilist, and oh so noir.
I loved that the show had movie length episodes, which were necessary for maintaining the captivating atmosphere. I hope mysteries with variable episode lengths can survive amidst the industry- and market-driven pressure to produce Douyin-oriented shorts.
IMO, the mystery itself and characters are not what you come to for this show. Instead, it's the setting, which the production design does a killer job to immerse you in, taking you authentically to multiple time periods of 东北 in Chinese history. The characters are rather impenetrable, icy, and alien. There's no fun interaction between characters. But, the lack of connection and attachment is also a point of the show in demonstrating the effect of trauma, Chinese history, and economic recession in impeding communication, empathy, warmth, and close ties. The show is bleak, nihilist, and oh so noir.
I loved that the show had movie length episodes, which were necessary for maintaining the captivating atmosphere. I hope mysteries with variable episode lengths can survive amidst the industry- and market-driven pressure to produce Douyin-oriented shorts.
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