The Museum recently screened the film Dooman River and since it centered on my twin fascinations, China and North Korea, I stuck around after work to watch it. It's 90 minutes long, with very little dialogue, and I found it to be completely mesmerizing.
The film takes place in a small Chinese town, which sits across the border from North Korea, separated by a long stretch of frozen river. The inhabitants of the town are ethnically Korean, but have little in common with their starving brethren across the divide. Given the proximity, North Koreans constantly cross illegally to find food and, with any luck, freedom. With these social and political factors simmering under the surface, two boys from each side strike up an uneasy friendship. While there are one or two unfortunate instances of heavy-handed symbolism, for the most part, it's a beautiful, tough, spare film that left me reeling.
I'm now extremely eager to see Zhang Lu's other films. A recent interview with the director can be found here: Elusive Filmmaker Opens Up
