Zhongguo hai de nu chao: A messy, salty look at the coast

Is it worth the time?

If you have a soft spot for mid-century cinema that feels a bit worn at the edges, you might get a kick out of Zhongguo hai de nu chao. It’s definitely not for anyone who needs constant action or a clean, logical plot to stay awake. You’ll probably hate it if you get annoyed by characters making bad decisions or if you demand high-definition crispness in your viewing experience.

It’s the kind of movie that feels like it’s struggling against its own budget. The sets have that specific, stagey look where you can tell the ocean is just a backdrop painted with too much enthusiasm. I found myself staring at a loose prop in the corner for a good three minutes, wondering if the actors knew it was wobbling every time they slammed a door.

The pacing is, well, erratic. One moment everyone is shouting over each other in a frantic burst of emotion, and the next, we’re just watching someone stare at a fishing net for what feels like an eternity. It’s weirdly hypnotic, though. It’s not as polished as something like Forbidden Cargo, which clearly had more studio backing to smooth out the rough edges.

The rhythm of the thing

There’s a scene about halfway through where two characters are meant to be having this big, life-changing argument. Instead, the lighting shifts so drastically between cuts that it looks like the sun is having a seizure. It’s distracting, but in a way that makes you feel like you’re actually there with them, dealing with the incompetence of the film crew. 🌊

Cha Ruilong is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. He’s got this intense look in his eyes that says he knows the script is falling apart, but he’s committed to the bit anyway. Sometimes he just stands there, silent, and it’s actually the most interesting thing in the whole frame.

It reminds me a bit of the mood in Home Blues, where the domestic space starts to feel more like a cage than a home. You can almost smell the salt and the desperation. Even when the dialogue feels a bit stilted, the atmosphere carries the load.

• The sound design is mostly just wind and waves, which I loved.
• Some of the extras in the background have absolutely no idea what they're supposed to be doing.
• The transition shots between locations look like they were filmed on a completely different continent.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. I wouldn't even call it 'good' by modern standards. But it has this salty, raw energy that’s hard to replicate with modern cameras and CGI. It feels human, mostly because of how many mistakes it makes. Sometimes a movie just needs to be watched, not analyzed to death. 📽️