| Ash Is Purest White |
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| Directed by Jia Zhangke, China 2018 136 mins. Mandarin dialogue with English sub-titles |
| Summary: |
Initially set in the jianghu criminal underworld, the film is less a gangster movie than a melodrama. With a three-part structure, it begins by following the quick-witted Qiao (Zhao Tao) and her mobster boyfriend Bin (Liao Fan) as they stake out their turf against rivals and upstarts in 2001 post-industrial Datong before expanding out into an epic narrative of how abstract forces shape individual lives, and continues Jia Zhangke's body of work as a record of 21st-century China and its warp-speed transformations. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. |
| What the Critics say: |
| "Despite the volcanic metaphor of the film's title, it's a tale characterised not by violent release, but by a steady - and ultimately compassionate - spirit of resolve ..." (Pat Padua - Washington Post) |