A Touch of Sin

A contemporary homage to King Hu's legendary "wu xia pian" (period martial arts film) A Touch of Zen (1971), Jia Zhang-Ke's sixth feature presents four "tufa shijan" (or "sudden incidents"), the official term for the actions of individuals pushed to the limit by China's forced modernisation. Dahai, a miner, exasperated by the corruption of his village leaders, decides to take justice into his own hands; San'er, a migrant worker, cherishes his gun more than his family; Xiaoyu, a sauna hostess, kills an obnoxious customer with a fruit knife; faced with the endless deterioration of her working conditions, Xiaohui eventually commits suicide. Inspired by real events that took place in different regions, to which the filmmaker – true to his documentary approach – travelled to investigate before writing his screenplay, A Touch of Sin wields a captivating mise-en-scène to weave together violent stories, carried by characters who are all reacting to humiliating conditions. A cross between wu xia pian, social drama and Chinese opera, the film depicts a society implacably fragmented by authoritarian capitalism. 

Emmanuel Chicon

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, 2020
Ash is Purest White, 2018
The Hedonists, 2016
Mountains May Depart, 2015
A Touch of Sin, 2013
Yulu, 2011
I Wish I Knew, 2010
Stories on Human Rights, 2008
Cry Me a River, 2008
24 City, 2008
Our Ten Years, 2007
Useless, 2007
Still Life, 2006
Dong, 2006
The World, 2004
Unknown Pleasures, 2002
The Condition of Dogs, 2001
In Public, 2001
Platform, 2000
Pickpocket, 1997
Du Du, 1996
Xiao Shan going Home, 1995