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Jia Zhangke, Ash Is Purest White, 2018 (still), image: courtesy Cohen Media Group
Film

Ash Is Purest White

Saturday, Feb 9, 2019

5 p.m.

Phyllis Wattis Theater

$10 Members

$12 General

See this San Francisco premiere!
Introduction by Jia Zhangke, plus post-screening Q+A

“Set in 2001, Ash Is Purest White is a fusion of innovation, entertainment, and social critique as only Jia can create it. Qiao (longtime Jia collaborator Zhao Tao) lives in a town tumbling into economic decline. She concerns herself little with such matters, since her boyfriend is a dashing gangster, Bin (Liao Fan), who works for a corrupt property developer. After his boss is murdered, Bin ascends in rank and finds himself vulnerable to rival hostilities. When he is attacked, Qiao makes a fateful decision. The couple is arrested and Qiao takes the heat. She gets put away for five years. Qiao emerges from prison to find her world has transformed. Her former mafia associates have moved into legitimate businesses, while Bin has found another moll. Qiao seeks revenge but, more importantly, she searches for a new identity in this changing China — a search that will take her to Three Gorges Dam, the setting for Jia’s Golden Lion-winning Still Life, and toward a powerful revelation.

With its captivating twists and enigmatic finale, Ash Is Purest White operates on many levels at once. It is a caveat emptor for those who chase fundamentally flawed ambitions, and a diagnosis for a nation that, in crucial ways, has succumbed to an ideological affliction.” (TIFF)

Media Source: Cohen Media Group


Film Details

Year: 2018

Running time: 136min

Format: DCP

Director: Jia Zhangke


Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Modern Cinema’s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Generous support is provided by Nion McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund.