Review of Chinese Movie Ash is Purest White

Director :Jiah Zhangke

Cast :Zhao Tao , Liao Fan

Overview :A Heart Warming Story Of Love And Sacrifice.

Storyline : The year is 2001. Qiao (Zhao Tao) is the girlfriend of Bin (Liao Fan), a small-time gangster who runs a mah-jongg parlour in Datong. Bin has a powerful personality that everyone e in the underworld respects him but he has many rivals too. One night, when Qiao and Bin were roaming around in their car, they are attacked by a mob belonging to a rival gang. To save his life, Qiao fires gun twice in the air. She is sent to jail for five years for illegal possession of a weapon .as she never admitted that it belonged to Bin. Bin is sentenced only for a year. Qiao sacrificed herself for her boyfriend and she hoped that they would start a life together after her sentence gets over .But she is mistaken and is in for a shock of her life when she finds out that not only Bin has run away to a far off city in Hubei province but has acquired a new girlfriend as well.

Penniless, and with nowhere to go . What will she do and Will Bin come back in her life is for the audience to watch.

Script Analysis And Director Review : Director Jia Zhangke has created a lyrical tale of unrequited love in this Chinese-French production. The film”s title is derived from a scene where Qiao and Bin visit a dormant volcano. ‘Volcanic ash is pure,” she says. “Anything that burns at such high temperatures is pure.” The sciences are beautiful and cinematography too good to miss. New and emerging China is shown beautifully.

Performances : Zhao Thao has done a fantastic job. .She has inacted the transformation by the turmoil of separation and loneliness to emerge as a person who had transcended grief and chooses to forgive Bin for his disloyalty and cowardice to perfection . Ironically, the film”s tenderest moment isn”t between Qiao and Bin but between Qiao and a stranger whom she meets on a train. Liao Dan is also very good.

Final Word : The movie is shown at Cannes film festival. It’s a must watch . Enjoy with your family

Ratings : 4*/5*