Summer of Changsha: while ostensibly a murder mystery, Zu Feng’s film is more interested in the drama resulting in pitting one of the lead investigators and the sister of the potential victim together. They both carry a lot of guilt over facts from their past, and that gives the film a percolating melancholy, a mood that defines the tone of the film. The pace is easy-going, but far from morose, a fine balance by editor Wen Jing. Zu Feng himself plays the sensitive but capable detective with efficiency, giving him the constant blue edge. Huang Lu, as the woman, is fine as well. Chen Minghao, as the second investigator, more down-to-earth and cynical, is quite good. Cinematographer Jeffrey Chu captures it all well, giving the film the colors that accentuate the heat of the summer. The music, by composer Dong Yingda, set the tone well.