If not for the lackluster and overly soapy first part that exposes some of the most crucial elements of the story and thus makes the picture less of a mind-boggling whodunit it aspires to be, The Coffin in the Mountain would be the most fun I've had with a non-linear piece in a long time.
In the opening chapter - aptly named 'Pregnancy' - Zongyao's (Wang Xiaotian) homecoming takes on an unexpectedly violent turn when, under cover of the night, he accidentally pushes a local delinquent to his death. Fully aware that no one will believe it was an act of self-defense rather than actual assault, the young man decides to skip town, taking his (not really) pregnant girlfriend Huanhuan (Luo Yun), presumably the only witness of the crime, along for the ride to a bigger town situated nearby, where they hide for two days and two nights.
In what appear to be the film's most excessively melodramatic sequence, Zongyao contemplates on the future of his soon-to-be-family of three and, after some wishy-washy discussion with Huanhuan, decides to confess in order to protect his loved ones, a wearisome heroic stance found in most behemoth films.
Scrupulously atoning for its initial faults, the picture steadily gains momentum as it moves to more mysterious, if not comically dark, grounds. Right after Zongyao comes back home, and to his surprise runs into a funeral procession for the man he himself has killed, the second chapter called 'Secrets' begins to unfold. Crucial to understanding not only the moral dilemmas of all the characters, but also the actual significance of all the elements that form this unbelievably bizarre story, one has to dig deeper into the backstories of some of the village's inhabitants.
In accord with its title, the second episode puts an emphasis on both the small and the big secrets that play an important role in the increasingly farcical scenario centered on the mistakenly identified human remains. Filling most of its running time is the extra marital affair between Liqin (Sun Li) and Baoshan (Shao Shengjie), who suddenly got the idea that idea his lover's violence-prone husband would save their hush-hush relationship.
Without interfering with the timeline, the picture brings to light yet another important component of the wittily twisted tale as soon as it introduces Danzhuang (Jia Zhigang), a character that's always in the shadow of his more expressive compatriots, but nevertheless unwittingly opens up a new chapter of the progressively absurd investigation. Guided by burning sense of unfulfillment and insecurity, the man impulsively decides to commit a crime, but then backs out in the last minute. The deliberately fatalistic nature of his actions doesn't really take a toll on his future, but it still plays with his guilt-ridden mind.
And yet in the group of more or less recognizable and realistic characters, it's the village mayor Xiao Weiguo (played magnificently by Huo Weimin) who unexpectedly becomes the film's leading man. Stealing the third act ('The Coffin in the Mountain', in Chinese just 'Coffin'), Huo's masterfully elaborate performance convinces that the initially invisible and uninteresting figure in the end might actually have the biggest impact on the proceedings, as Weiguo involuntarily transforms from a mere observer to the farce's main player, due to rather a circumstantial turn of events. An uptight and seemingly miserable older man, the chief shows his more distinctively charismatic side in an ending that moves dynamically from one frame to the other, unraveling the mystery in a most satisfying manner possible.
Though weakened by unnecessary longueurs, The Coffin in the Mountain proves to be an entertaining and smartly written indie that never overstays its welcome. Technical credits for what is obviously a low budget effort are good. fine Shot entirely on location, the picture makes great use of the surroundings, mainly the menacing forest and cramped households. Thanks to Xin Yukun's meticulous direction there's enough material to keep the story at a fairly intriguing level, and even exposing too much information in the beginning doesn't really ruin the overall effect.