‘Nighttime Sounds’ review: Confident, lyrical drama focuses on marginalised women in rural China

Dir: Zhang Zhongchen. China. 2025. 88mins

Missed and marginalised ladies in rural China are on the centre of Nighttime Sounds, a movie that sits comfortably on the intersection of magical and social realism, and surrealism. Exploring the stress of unaddressed wants in ladies nonetheless confronted with patriarchal attitudes and the emotional legacy of China’s just lately abolished one-child coverage, co-writer and director Zhang Zhongchen’s sophomore effort is a singular visible work. Assured and private – Zhang attracts inspiration from his personal childhood in a rural group – it’s the sort of movie that lingers within the thoughts.

Zhang brings the lightest of touches 

Zhang received a foothold in filmmaking as an editor (he contributes to the reduce right here) and made waves in 2021 along with his debut function The Final Farewell, a few deaf man discovering his lacking father is needed for homicide. Although Nighttime Sounds is extra thematically and formally bold, that first effort has primed Zhang for extra competition play, as has the truth that distinguished Taiwanese-Burmese director Midi Z (The Street To Mandalay, Return To Burma) has come on board as govt producer. Additional screenings ought to definitely observe a bow at San Sebastián and a slot in Pink Sea competitors, and area of interest theatrical distribution is a risk in main markets the place movies comparable to Vivian Qu’s Women On Wire or Wei Shujun’s barely extra mainstream Solely The River Flows discovered audiences. A specialty streaming life is probably going assured.

Eight-year-old Mao Qing (Chen Halin) lives in rural Maozhuang, a farming village wedged between the twin spectres of historical past and progress – as embodied by an archaeological web site excavating a collection of 800-year-old Track Dynasty sculptures and the not-too-distant industrial smoke stacks. Along with her father away working within the metropolis, probably the most influential folks in Qing’s life look like her mom Hongmei (Li Yanxi); Wenjuan (Nan Cui), the native so-called ‘Loopy Girl’ who hears voices; and her grandmother (Wang Lanhua). Hongmei has taken a lover, an electrical energy lineman (Wang Chaobei), which has introduced the village’s judgement and shamed her father.

Qing’s focus adjustments when she meets one other little one about her age in the future after college. Bai Hai (Gu Hanru) is searching for his misplaced mom, and it’s attainable nobody can see him besides Qing. Both manner, he turns into her pal and confidant, and the gateway by way of which we uncover each Qing and Hongmei’s needs and frustrations – and exactly how marginalised they’re as ladies in China’s disregarded hinterlands.

Zhang hundreds Nighttime Sounds with photos and sounds that illustrate how the load of the previous –private within the type of Hongmei’s distant marriage and social within the type of the Track statues standing sentinel over the group – presses down on each Qing and Hongmei. Hongmei’s unseen and unacknowledged internal life has her doting on her second daughter Wenwen, usually on the expense of Qing, who feels she has to work additional onerous to earn her mom’s consideration. 

Zhang brings the lightest of touches to any commentary on the place Qing, Hongmei and ladies like them discover themselves in. A quiet second the place Qing and her grandmother are flipping by way of some previous images and reminiscing about her earlier work as a midwife many years earlier than speaks volumes when Qing notes there have been, “So many infants,” as does the truth that a village marriage ceremony ends with the groom declaring he’ll certainly father a son.

Cinematographer Reagon Zhang toggles between expansive, calming photos of the inexperienced – later brown – wheat fields surrounding the village and intimate, pressing hand-held digicam work that works with sound designer from Clark Zhao and Nancy Chen to create the movie’s steadily otherworldly areas. A ghostly floating raincoat suggesting Bai Hai’s presence, whispers that appear to emanate from beneath the statue, mysterious colored lights within the sky (albeit with earthy sources; all contribute to a language that’s equal elements sorrowful and hopeful. 

By all of it Li’s tightly coiled steeliness is a continuing reminder of her repressed urges and resented obligations, and her younger co-star Chen turns in an intuitive efficiency that bodes nicely for her future on-screen profession.