A TOUCH OF SIN (2013)

Part of Jia Zhangke: A Journey Through Time

A “brilliant exploration of violence and corruption in contemporary China” (Jon Frosch, The Atlantic), A TOUCH OF SIN was inspired by four shocking (and true) events that forced the world’s fastest growing economy into a period of self-examination.

Written and directed by master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (The World, Still Life), “one of the best and most important directors in the world” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker), this daring, poetic and grand-scale film focuses on four characters, each living in different provinces, who are driven to violent ends.

An angry miner, enraged by widespread corruption in his village, decides to take justice into his own hands. A rootless migrant discovers the infinite possibilities of owning a firearm. A young receptionist, who dates a married man and works at a local sauna, is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. And a young factory worker goes from one discouraging job to the next, only to face increasingly degrading circumstances.

A Touch Of Sin plays on Saturday, October 7 at 6:30p. Make it a double feature and see also Jia ZhangKe’s 24 CITY at 3:50p for $24.


Co-presented by Bay Area Chinese Culture Salon

Runtime
2h 5m
Year
2013
Director
Jia Zhangke
Format
DCP
Country
China
Language
Mandarin with English subtitles
First Showing
October 7, 2023