Over the past decade, a willingness to compromise has been seen on both sides, and some of these now-established directors have begun to work with state approval. The most prominent is Jia Zhangke, whose features and documentaries have achieved considerable international acclaim. A Touch Of Sin is his latest movie, and while supposedly approved by state censors, its explosive content has meant that Zhangke is still negotiating an official release in mainland China. It’s hardly a spoiler to say that none of this ends happily. Zhangke has been criticised in some quarters for A Touch Of Sin’s violent content, a world away from his more refined early films like Still Life and The World. But sometimes it takes a confrontational approach to make a point. While you would hardly call this film a subtle one, it does have much to say about the corrupting influence of power and how society’s underclasses have been swept aside in China’s race to economic dominance. It is hard to sympathise with some of the bloody acts that his protagonists engage in, but it’s a testament to Zhangke’s skills as writer and director that we do at least partially understand why they have been driven to take such drastic measures. Much of the film’s power derives from the detached, observational style, which documents events while offering little in the way of editorial comment. Music is minimal, performances naturalistic and the camerawork and editing never draw attention to themselves, even when depicting some striking imagery – a blood-splattered woman walking dazed through the night, or the bizarre brothel where the rich are pleasured by girls in Mao-era military uniforms. Zhangke’s approach is no doubt informed by his extensive documentary work, all of which makes the eruptions of violence so arresting when they occur. A Touch Of Sin is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from Arrow Films. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
