Hi everyone!
Welcome back for another entry in our new series, Under the Kanopy, which highlights the critically praised, if not commercially successful films available on Kanopy, a library and university powered streaming service that is free to any participating student or library card holder. Each month, you get six free views on the service, and the selection is impressive. Today’s film is one of the highest scoring films of 2018, which received a very limited release earlier this year in US theaters. It’s great to have it available on Kanopy for general viewing. For the two other films we’ve covered so far, check out “The Image Book” (Episode #629) and “3 Faces” (Episode #636).
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friends at the Book of Lies Podcast. Every episode, Brandi and Sunni give you the details on a former or current con artist bilking unsuspecting victims. They’ll teach you how to spot a con, and what happened to each of them. Don’t miss their recent guest review on One Movie Punch for “28 Days Later” (Episode #624), where one of their investigations into con artists yields unexpected results.
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “Ash Is The Purest White”, the epic Chinese romantic drama written and directed by Zhangke Jia. The film follows the troubled relationship of Qiao (Tao Zhao) and Bin (Fan Liao), two lovers who met in the criminal underworld of their regional city, over the course of sixteen years, set against the backdrop of a changing China. Zhangke Jia was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for his work on this film.
No spoilers.
The Chinese film industry is one of the fastest growing film scenes on the planet, struggling to cater to a rising middle class population and to a more-connected working-class population via cell phones and tablets. The Chinese market has one of the largest viewing populations, with significant international box office dollars to offer. And Chinese investors have been funding multiple Hollywood pictures for the last couple of decades, especially in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. In fact, one of the highest grossing pictures of this year was “The Wandering Earth” (Episode #500), recently distributed to Netflix in the United States. And last year I reviewed a film called “Us and Them” (Episode #178), a Netflix exclusive film from China that examined a relationship between two individuals over nearly two decades.
It’s an expanding market, one with stories to tell that don’t fit the typical western narrative structures. “The Wandering Earth” looks at a planet acting as a global community, operating on a planetary scale for survival as opposed to the usual depictions of dictatorships. “Us and Them”, similar to today’s film, is told over two decades, a story as much about the characters as the changing nature of Chinese society. In fact, I would argue that Chinese cinema is one of the ways that the country is reintroducing itself to the world, already an economic superpower in the world. And with each offering, we’re getting to see what was once only heard through tales of propaganda and heavily censored documentaries. It’s a lot different than you might expect, and a lot more similar than you might believe.
“Ash is the Purest White” begins in a regional city of Datong, a regional mining town controlled by a combination of the party leaders and the local crime bosses. Bin is a high-ranking lieutenant in the underworld, with Qiao as his girlfriend, living the good life, and enjoying each other until the economy threatens to shut down the mining facilities. It’s the first of three stories about Qiao and Bin, who reconnect twice more after this first moment for different circumstances.
Qiao and Bin aren’t just unique characters, but also represent the changing gender roles and expectations in China as the economy begins to capitalize further and further. When Qiao seeks out Bin five years after the first act, she also journeys across a changed China, one she hasn’t seen, and one that Bin has used to disappear into after leaving the underworld. And when we fast forward the story to the final act, returning to Datong, we have an examination of what’s actually changed since the first act, for the characters, for their relationship, for their hometown, and for the country as a whole.
The Chinese title for “Ash is the Purest White” literally translates to “Sons and Daughters of Jianghu”. Jianghu refers to a few things in Chinese culture, but in this case, it refers specifically to the Chinese underworld, and is based on a true story of someone from Zhangke’s childhood. What makes the film unique, however, is that it is an exceedingly pedestrian look at the Chinese underworld, instead of the usual bombastic stories with lots of firepower and martial arts. Qiao and Bin each navigate their relationship to and identification as jianghu throughout the film, and also the jianghu’s changing relationship to the official government.
In fact, I think what I like most about Chinese cinema is how well it seems to consistently blend characters, the relationships between characters, and their relationship to the community as a whole as part of their storytelling. Films generally do well with individual stories and relationships, but don’t always look at the larger relationship to communities, outside of general notions of patriotism and rural hometown pride. It’s a feature of their more communitarian as opposed to individualist approach to society, and provides an excellent lens on which to examine both societies.
“Ash Is The Purest White” is an epic, romantic drama set over sixteen years in and out of the Chinese underworld. Zhangke Jia, with the help of stars Tao Zhao and Fan Liao, tells the story of each character, their relationship, and the changing nature of Chinese society, particularly the underworld. Chinese cinema fans, pedestrian crime film fans, and anyone interested in a look at Chinese culture over the last two decades should definitely check out this film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 85 (MUST SEE)
One Movie Punch: 8.9/10
“Ash Is The Purest White” (2018) is not rated and is currently playing on Kanopy.
