A Touch of Sin (15)

Directed by Zhang-ke Jia

4/5

Based on four real life news stories — three murders and a suicide —  which happened in recent years director Zhang-Ke Jia’s A Touch Of Sin paints a surprisingly critical and brutal picture of contemporary Chinese life. 

He certainly pulls no punches when it comes to violence. It’s graphic, bloody and frankly impossible to watch without wincing and having to look away. 

Be prepared, among other things, to see a horse being whipped and beaten to the ground and a duck having its throat slit. 

The four tales, set in different provinces of China, each reflect a different aspect of life there. 

The first centres on an angry miner who revolts against the corruption of his village leaders when he is beaten almost to a pulp for speaking out against them at a public event. He snaps and embarks on a killing spree, shooting them all one by one. 

The next is a masked gunslinger on a motorbike who makes his living murdering people. 

This is followed by the story of a sauna receptionist, forced to kill a punter who tries to rape her after mistaking her for a masseuse, and finally a young lad who moves from job to job to improve his life prospects but ends up destroying himself. 

None of the four characters are linked although they walk in and out of shot in each other’s vignettes. 

They are all weak and put-upon members of society who are forced to resort to violence in order to get justice and to restore their lost dignity. 

This must be one of the frankest and most candid critiques of modern day China. 

It is a fascinating and revealing eye opener which leaves a disturbing and lasting impression. 

Maria Duarte