Four independent stories set in modern China about random acts of violence.
Internationally acclaimed Chinese master Jia Zhangke (The World) won the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes for this startling — and startlingly violent — modern wuxia tale of four outcasts on the margins of a rapidly changing China, who channel their underclass rage into a bloody and murderous rampage.
His portrait of China unfolds in four chapters, following an episodic structure that seems to adopt the brevity and concision of weibo (China’s Twitter-like microblogs). The film unveils the tragic destiny of four sinners from four different provinces: a miner (Jiang Wu) who takes revenge on a corrupt village chief; a gun-loving migrant worker (Wang Baoqiang) who shoots his way to easy money; a modest sauna receptionist (Zhao Tao) who, humiliated by a client, turns into a fierce, dagger-wielding goddess; and an abused youth (Luo Lanshan) who endures long working hours and all manner of psychological violence.
A fascinating mix of social realism and contemporary kung fu, A Touch of Sin invents a new form of martial arts cinema: filmic tai chi for the poor of this world, those who have learned to turn abuse into willingness to fight injustice.
Five popcorns.
