A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces

Wuhan, China, sits on the bank of the Yangtze River, an engaging communal stage quietly bustling with life — until it’s not. Contrasting displays of everyday life like dancing, singing and swimming with eerie images of empty streets during a pandemic now inextricably linked to the city, documentarian Shengze Zhu composes a gorgeous cinematic letter to her hometown. Wide static shots exquisitely capture an evolving landscape that is continuously sculpted by nature and dramatically altered by rising industrialisation and infrastructure, scenes of unexpected beauty now haunted by loss. Like a city symphony without music, A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces is a calm, wordless meditation on the vulnerability and resilience of a city (and its inhabitants) in transition.