Suzhou River

“If you love me, search for me until you die. For me, who became a mermaid.”

In contemporary Shanghai, along the polluted banks of the Suzhou River, the small-time crook Mardar (Jia Hongsheng) walks out of prison after three years. He spots a woman who looks exactly like Moudan, the lover he once tried to kidnap, Meimei / Moudan (Zhou Xun) in a dual role. Lou Ye follows his search through the city's gritty back streets, and Mardar keeps his eyes fixed on her face.