Chi Ying

The movie is structured much like a murder mystery, albeit one that gives the viewer a fight scene every couple of minutes. There’s a murderer who goes by the moniker Devil Swordsman gallivanting around the countryside in an outfit that looks like a ninja cloak by way of a KKK robe who’s killing all of the major kung fu masters and clan leaders with a single swipe to the face. One of his first victims is the head of the White Dragon tribe, whose son, Shan, is played by Dorian Tan Tao-Liang. Shan naturally assumes the role of detective in order to avenge his father, since that’s what people do in these movies.

Since her grandfather died, Chi Li has lived alone in the house of an aunt who is abroad. She has no contact with her parents. It is a lonely life, but Chi Li is doing fine. She has a job at a cinema and no need for a relationship. She protects herself this way because who would want her as a girlfriend? Chi Li has epilepsy. In north-eastern China where she lives, this means she simply isn't marriage material. When a boy nevertheless shows interest, some warmth seems to penetrate her armoured existence. However, a romantic trip to a dance performance painfully reminds her of her past as a dancer. Only You Alone is a powerful portrait of a courageous young woman, made all the more so by the great acting of Chi Yun, who co-wrote the script with director Zhou Zhou.