There is nothing overly critical that can be said about Tian Zhuanghzhuang's film "Springtime in a Small Town." A remake of Fei Mu's classic melodrama, this carefully made film tells the story about a sickly landowner whose lovely, dissatisfied wife finds her passion reawakened by the return of an lover who is also her husband's oldest friend. Visually, the gray springtime in a village full of crumbling buildings is oddly compelling, and the performances are uniformly strong. Unfortunately, the film called to mind Gong Li's tragic fate as the unhappily married wife in Zhang Yimou's "Raise The Red Lantern." Is it fair to compare one sad Chinese wife to another? Probably not. Nevertheless, "Spring Time in a Small Town" lacks urgency and pathos.