There is a lot of talent behind Some Rain Must Fall, Qui Yang’s brooding debut feature. The performances are strong, the aesthetic is powerful and consistent, and yet when viewed overall the film does not quite pull together as it should. It is impressive work for a first feature, as one might expect from a Cannes short film Palme d’Or winner, but it is also a weirdly frustrating film to watch. I find myself not recommending it, but rather recommending waiting to see what its director does next.

Cai (Yu Aier) is a woman in her forties spending too much of her time caring for a senile mother-in-law, while suffering a growing disconnect with her daughter and planning to divorce her ungrateful husband. An unintended violent incident on a high school basketball court sends Cai’s life spiralling into pieces, and she is forced to confront secrets from her past in order to find a stable future.

Some Rain Must Fall is an immensely stylish film, with a strong thematic use of colour and a particularly bleak, claustrophobic mise-en-scène. With cinematographer Constanze Schmitt, Qui not only shoots in a 4:3 “academy” ratio, but captures her characters through all many of barriers: doorways, windows, and curtains persistently get in the camera’s way. We rarely see anybody’s face in anything more than profile. Quite often we can only see the back of their head. If significant action does occur, we do not see it: our view is of others’ reactions instead. The narrative is broken open by repeated use of ellipsis. It all combines to deliver an immense emotional impact, but it also leads to a weakening of story and a distracting artificiality. There is an insightful focus on Cai’s emotions and inner turmoil, but it comes to the expense of the other characters.

As if often the case with these internationally funded Chinese dramas, diegetic sound prevails to create a harsher sense of realism. In this case it seems in conflict with the stylised photography. A very slow pace also interferes with audience engagement, particularly a rather wobbly dénouement that fails to comfortably identify an exit point.

Yu Aier is sensational in the lead role, and is backed by reasonably strong performances across the board – notably Di Shike and Wei Yibo. With limited dialogue, it is the silences between characters that provide the most illumination, and the largely new talent do an excellent job.

Qui demonstrates great capacity in this film for stylistic innovation, but that innovation is badly in need of tempering to ensure a more watchable, satisfying experience. While the characters are interesting it is like watching them with one eye closed. We never get close enough for it all to mean anything of note. It is very promising on the surface, but the contents feel hollow.

Some Rain Must Fall is screening at the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival. Click here for more information.