Springtime in a Small Town is a remake of the 1948 Fei Mu classic of the same name. The plot is classic but as topical now as then. We meet a married couple who live in a war-ravaged mansion in the Chinese countryside. One day a childhood friend of the husband comes visiting. Their joy of meeting again is great but frustrations become equally great when it turns out that the wife is the friend’s flame from their youth. This is an extraordinarily well-acted triangular love drama, made with minimal effects. The screenplay is by Ah Cheng, one of China’s most renowned writers. This is Tian Zhuangzhuang’s first film since the authorities banned him from making more films after his internationally acclaimed The Blue Kite (1993). cin