If I leave you someday
would you look for me? Like Mardar?
Yes.
Would you look for me forever?
Yes.
Your whole life?
Yes.
You're lying.
I like to take my camera
to the Suzhou River
and just drift along,
West to East through shanghai.
There's a century worth
of stories here and rubbish
which makes it the filthiest river.
Many people live here anyway
making a living on the river.
They spend their whole lives here.
Look, you can see them.
If you watch it long enough,
the river will show you everything.
It will show you people working
it will show you friendship
families, love
and loneliness as well.
I have even seen on the boat
Once a baby was born
Once a girl jumped to her death
from a bridge outside my window.
I saw the bodies of two young lovers
being dragged out the water by the police.
As for love
I could tell you
that I saw a mermaid once
sitting on the muddy bank
combing her golden hair.
But I'd be lying.
Videographer, that's me.
Pay me and I'll shoot it.
You can see my pager number
on any street-corner.
Pay me and I shoot anything.
Weddings, parties...
I'll even shoot you pissing or making love
if that's what you want.
But...
don't complain
if you don't like
what you see.
Cameras don't lie.
That's what I told the owner
of the Happy Tavern.
I hadn't had a job for some time...
...when he paged me and said
he had something special for me.
What do you want?
Your boss wants to see me.
Are you the boss?
So you're the videographer.
Go ahead, sit down.
Two beers.
What I'm after I'm pursuing that kind of...
The feeling I want is totally...
You get it, right?
It doesn't look special now...
I know.
Cheers...
let's see...
over here...
He rambled a long time
before I understood what he wanted.
He wanted me to shoot
his mermaid show
to help bring in customers.
I don't believe in mermaids...
but then I saw her...
Her name was Meimei.
She's the mermaid.
I fell in love the first time I saw her in the water.
She gave me her pager number...
...joking
I could call her if I miss her.
I did call her...
...and we started going out.
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Tell her to come to Huang He Road as soon as possible.
I didn't know anything about Meimei's past.
She didn't say, and I never asked.
I just liked to look at her,
and video her.
And soon we were spending
all of our time together.
But sometimes she'd
suddenly get sad.
I had no idea why.
I even did not understand that
Sometimes she'd
disappear for days
without a word...
...and then she'd show up again...
...as if nothing had happened.
It drove me crazy.
Every time she disappeared...
...I thought it'd be the last time I ever saw her.
Every time she closed the door behind her...
...I felt as if my life had stopped.
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I would stay on my balcony,
watching the people outside my window. Waiting for Meimei to return.
Until I would see her crossing the bridge,
and I could smile again.
I loved her way of walking with her hands crossed.
She'd come here
We'd have a drink on the balcony
and then she would leave.
I have to go.
Don't be late.
Okay
But if she had one too many,
she'd always ask me,
if she left one day and didn't come back would
I look for her, like Mardar did?
I asked her, who's Mardar?
She told me a story about Mardar,
a motorbike courier
who spent his life...
Looking for this girl
he had loved and lost.
She said that everyone should
have a love story like that.
I could make one up too.
The motorcycle courier. Mardar.
He made a little money
making deliveries
in Shanghai.
Maybe rode past
my window on his way home...
...to watch his favourite pirate videos,
which is what he did...
...all night.
That's his life.
What else?
Let me think.
He's about 26 or 27.
His past... Could be...
Mardar dropped out of school and
started hanging around the river...
...with other people without anything to do.
One day a friend drives up
on a stolen motorcycle.
She runs great. Max speed 160
Pretty fast. Soft accelerator. Like a dream.
Can I try it? Sure, no problem.
Mardar loves it so much...
he buys it.
He thought he would
go far on it...
make something of himself.
He never thought he'd end up a motorcycle courier.
Shanghai is swarming with so many delivery boys
that you hardly notice them.
But Mardar stood out.
Girls liked him because he was good looking.
His clients liked him because he kept his mouth shut.
Mardar used to go to a bar
to meet Xia-Ho...
and Lao B
...who gave him a lot of business.
Hi, Mardar.
Hollywood? Yes
The usual?
Same as ever.
Yes?
That's Xia-Ho, there.
This time the job was different.
This time the delivery was a girl,
Moudan.
I think I saw her. Is her hair braided?
Carrying a backpack?
She's walking
towards the Suzhou Road.
Where do you want me to sit?
How about sitting in front of me?
I'd prefer to sit here.
Close your jacket.
Not like that.
Swing your leg over.
Hold on tight.
Moudan's father was a well-known dealer...
who made a fortune dealing in
buffalo grass vodka
from Eastern Europe.
After his divorce, there were only two things he loved
alcohol and women.
Every time he brought home a new girlfriend,
he'd call Mardar...
to take Moudan to her aunt's to get her out of the way.
What are you looking at? Watching you.
Why watching me?
Can't I watch you?
You always drive your bike so slowly?
Anything wrong with that? It's boring.
Why? It's just boring.
When you ride a bike
you should do it for real.
It's too slow
How should I drive it?
Like Schwarzenegger.
Or like
I don't drive like him?
Not at all.
I don't think
You'd be able to take it if I drove fast
It's you who can't take it.
OK, let's do it.
Why not?
Let's go.
Aunt!
Moudan.
Did you get paid?
Yes. Thank you.
But Mardar and Moudan
found they liked each other.
Moudan loved riding on Mardar's motorbike...
and always got him
to take detours
so she could stay
with him longer.
Then, one day...
It was her birthday.
Mardar gave her
a mermaid doll.
They spent the whole day together...
and got drunk on a bottle of vodka.
She stole it from her father.
Both of them were drunken
Mardar had never seen a girl
as happy as Moudan that day.
A boy and a girl who hardly know each other
sit next to each other
What happens next?
Well...
Love, of course.
Where are we going?
I don't want to go home yet.
Where do you want to go? What?
Where do you want to go? I don't know.
The movies? No
The bar? No!
Where do you want to go?
To your place.
I want to go to your place! Did you hear me?
I cannot see your face
I cannot see your eyes
But you always appear In the rainy nights
There are no stars. There is no light
But your face always appears in my dreams
I wish you would be here
You're always like the wind Blowing by.
Blowing away my joy
Leaving my loneliness
Or
the story
was not as romantic as imagination
is not so simple.
There's more to it.
Maybe Mardar's not simply a courier.
What if Xia-Ho
has some criminal connections?
And what if she and Mardar
had been lovers?
You did well, Mardar.
Right, so what do you want next.
Trust me.
Why should I trust you? Play with open cards. No secrets.
You don't
trust me?
Then I don't trust you. Forget it.
What I
actually mean is...
Mardar and I want out share.
Did I say anything else?
After that night,
Mardar avoided Moudan. He wouldn't see her.
He didn't answer her calls.
Until one rainy night...
You only let me stay when I'm drunk.
You like me, don't you?
That's why you don't want to see me.
What is your problem?
What's taking you so long?
I haven't had the right chance.
Then right chance?
You love her, don't you?
Don't be ridiculous!
Ridiculous? Just do it.
What are you quarrelling about? Come in.
You. Barber. Out of here.
Here's the plan.
Her father's got a new girl
on Wednesday.
He'll send Moudan to her aunt's, as usual.
Take her to the building
And...
Keep her there.
We would go to get the money
Wait for my call. That's it.
After that, you can do whatever you like.
I know you're involved with this girl.
Maybe we shouldn't trust you.
And what if I don't want to do it now?
Don't push your luck.
The girl is rather pretty, isn't she?
You do like her, don't you?
What�s wrong with you? Nothing.
One evening
he got her drunk...
and took her to the Kuan-Fu Road.
Where are we going?
What is this place?
Sit down.
Let's go to your place.
We're not going anywhere.
Sit down!
You can speak to her,
but if you call the police she's dead.
Just leave the money as I told you...
Hold on.
You're good at singing, right? Sing something for him.
Sing. Hurry up!
But your face always appears in my dreams
Dad!
Do as you're told and nothing will happen to her.
We're rich!
How much did you get for me?
What?
How much did you get for me?
45 thousand.
45 thousand. I'm that cheap?
What? I'm that cheap!?
Where are you going?
Leave me alone! Where are you going?
Leave me alone!
Come back! Leave me alone!
Are you crazy? Come back.
You lied.
You don't like me at all.
Don't move or I'll jump!
So you can be baited too!
Do you think I'll jump or not?
I will come back as a mermaid,
and I will find you again!
I remember reading an article
about it in the paper.
The papers were full
of the mermaid story for weeks.
For a while,
every boatman in Shanghai
claimed to have seen Moudan...
or the Mermaid.
Mardar
went to jail for a few years.
When he got out...
he disappeared for a while...
wandering from city to city
Finally he came back to Shanghai.
No one knew
what had happened to him.
People just thought...
that he had gone crazy because he couldn't forget about Moudan.
He started as a courier again...
criss crossing the city from morning to night...
just so he could keep looking for Moudan.
He asked everyone he met...
but no one knew what had happened to her.
You're new here. Yes.
Did you know Xia Ho? She used to own the place.
No. I heard she was dead.
How?
They say some guy called Lao B
killed her. Over money.
Do you know Lao B?
No.
You? No.
He's dead too.
The police were chasing him
and he jumped off the roof.
He's dead too? Yes.
And then? That's the end, I suppose.
Not much of a love story...
but I don't know
how to go on with it.
Unless... Mardar can
finish telling his story himself.
Yeah? OK, I'll be there in a minute.
Sorry.
What are you looking at? Something funny?
Wait a minute. I'll buy you another beer!
Is the water cold? Not so
Bye.
Drink?
No, thank you.
What do you want? You.
Who the hell are you?
Mardar. Don't you remember me?
Sorry, I don't. What happened to you?
OK, that's enough.
Meimei.
Call the guards.
I've had enough of creeps like you. Piss off.
On your way! Get going! Get going!
You've made a mistake. I don't do 'extras'.
I don't want anything.
Why are you following me?
Get lost or I'll call the police!
But what happened to you? What do you mean?
I've been looking for you ever since I got out of jail.
In jail?
Don't worry. I'm not dangerous.
I'm not drunk.
So you want a drink now.
Do you?
No, I don't.
Shall I drink with you? No problem.
Your turn.
I don't want a drink! I just want to ask you...
Listen...
we knew each other before.
We were on the bridge...
I didn't lie to you, Moudan.
I'm not lying now.
You were Moudan...
Wait. Sorry to disappoint you.
But you're wrong.
Something is wrong with you. What's the matter?
Nothing. I just have a show tonight.
You don't have to go. No, I can't.
Please.
It's impossible. I can't.
Alright. Fine. I have to go.
Bye.
That night,
Where are you from?
Meimei led Mardar to me.
What's matter?
He told me that
Meimei was Moudan, the girl he had been looking for.
A few years ago I knew a girl.
She looked exactly like Meimei.
It's true. Her name was Moudan.
She jumped from a bridge...
into the river...
and never came back.
I keep looking for her
They never found her body.
I'm telling you this
because she looked
exactly like Meimei.
Exactly the same.
Impossible.
Your story
had been long time ago
You're wrong.
I've known Meimei for a long time.
She's my girlfriend.
Meimei is my girl.
OK. I'll leave.
The boss told me
that Mardar kept going to see
Meimei at the bar.
He went to her dressing room after the show...
and told her all...
about Moudan and himself.
Every detail.
How Moudan like to wear
upress-on tattoos of flowers on her leg...
how she liked to paint her fingernails blue.
The first time I saw her was in front of her home
I went to pick her up
Every night,
And I saw her again...
the same story...
She brought the alcohol and the her mermaid doll
I took her to a derelict building.
It had huge holes in the floor and no toilet.
She was scared, I think.
The next day, when I was about to set her free...
she asked me how much we got for her.
I told her 45 thousand.
She ran off, shouting that
she was worth more than that.
I jumped into the river after her but couldn't find her.
They never found her.
What did she look like?
Like you. But she always wore her hair in two pony-tails
like a little girl.
And? What else?
And she had a press-on tattoo
on her left leg.
So?
They sell those everywhere.
Lots of girls have them.
Do you have one on your leg?
No. I'm not your Moudan.
Even if I do have one...
I don't believe you. You don't?
You want to see for yourself?
Am I the girl you are looking for?
What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong.
Has something happened?
Say something. Is it over?
Are we finished?
Or should we have sex first?
Wait, please.
Don't touch me.
Love is a nightless city, memories are stars
Tears are warm, feelings are cold
He lost his heart to another girl It hurts
Whole nights alone
The sun like a light in my room
Beer, please.
What are you doing?
Stop it! You're killing him!
A few days later, Mardar came to see me again.
He ranted for a long time.
He knew it was me
who had him beaten up
but he wasn't angry.
If I would let him
go on looking for Moudan
he would give Meimei back to me.
What was he talking about?
The bastard messed up my life
but still had the nerve
smoke my cigarettes; K drink my vodka...
and keep me up all night
with his nonsense
about love.
I'm going to go away for a while.
Do you think Moudan is still alive?
I feel she is still alive,
somewhere in the city.
I need to keep looking for her.
But what about Meimei and you?
Meimei told me a lot about her feelings.
She loves nobody
but you.
Although she didn't tell me directly that she loves you.
But I know
Meimei's feelings.
The next day
the Happy Tavern was closed down.
And suddenly it was as if
none of this had ever happened.
No Happy Tavern,
no boss... no Meimei...
no Mermaid.
Some time later, a courier delivered
strange package.
Inside was a bottle of buffalo
grass vodka and a note from Mardar.
It said:
'Thank you. You let me find her.'
Now I can tell you the end of the story.'
'I found her in a 24 hour shop
out in the suburbs.'
'I had heard they sold
buffalo grass vodka.'
'The vodka found Moudan for me.'
Can I help you?
Do you have
wild buffalo grass vodka?
Yes, we have. That's 175.
Mardar... Take me home.
The knocking on the door brought me
out of my daydream.
I didn't know when it had started raining again.
Can you come with us please, sir. It was the police.
They wanted me to identify a body.
It happened not far from the bridge
Where Moudan had jumped.
They told me that the guy was a courier
and the girl worked
in a 24 hour shop.
They were drunk
on buffalo grass vodka.
I was scared
to see the bodies,
this guy?
But it was Mardar.
They found my address and telephone number on him.
Next to him was a girl
who looked exactly the same Meimei.
I couldn't believe it wasn't her...
I needed to see her...
I saw Meimei on her houseboat.
She knew nothing.
I told her what had happened.
She was choked but insisted on seeing for herself.
There's been an accident.
Mardar is dead.
I thought
it was just a story.
I didn't think Moudan really existed.
I thought he was lying.
I thought it was me he wanted.
But he wasn't lying...
He never lied.
Never...
If I left you...
...would you look for me? Like Mardar?
Yes.
Forever? Yes.
Your whole life?
Yes.
You're lying.
Things like that...
only happen in love stories.
Your don't believe me?
No, I don't. Do you mean it?
On that rainy day on Meimei's houseboat...
we were together again.
Like old times.
I sat up all night watching old videos I had shot of her.
In the morning, I went back to see her.
Long time ago...
There was so much
I wanted to say to her.
But I was too late.
She was gone.
Find me if you love me
It was the best damn drink I'd ever had.
It reminded me
of the days I had with Meimei.
If she hadn't run away,
maybe we'd be drinking together now,
like we used to.
Floating down the Suzhou River
to the sea.
The sun would come out...
and the river would be clear and full of fish.
I could run after her,
look for her like Mardar.
I could go back to my balcony...
and wait for her to appear on the bridge, walking with her hands crossed...
and then this love story of mine might go on.
But I won't because nothing lasts forever.
So I'll just take another drink and close my eyes...
waiting for the next story to start.