Mandarin language crime drama in which a woman is sent to prison after using an unlicensed gun to protect her mobster boyfriend from attackers.
If the final act is perhaps too ponderous, it's typical of Jia: this is no ordinary gangster film but one that's filled with poignancy and longing.
Fascinating in its balance between microcosm and aerial view, but the performances definitely raise more emotional heat.
Jia’s grip slackens slightly at the end but, especially in its middle section, Ash Is Purest White is engrossing, surprising and affecting, held together by a towering performance from Tao – her gaze alone should carry a licence to kill.
An effective look at changes in Chinese society through the eyes of one couple.
Hits its stride somewhere in the middle, bounding confidently towards its hopeless, poetic conclusion.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday April 26, 2019, until Thursday May 2, 2019. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com