NYFF at 51 REVIEW // A TOUCH OF SIN

BY LIZ WHITTEMORE

THE 51ST NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL, RUNNING FROM SEPTEMBER 27TH - OCTOBER 13TH, IS BEING COVERED THIS YEAR BY OUR CONTRIBUTORS MATEO MORENO, LIZ WHITTEMORE, AND CODY LANG

How much can a human being really take before they snap? How much abuse, be it verbal, physical, or emotional, do we allow in our everyday routine? Written and directed by Jia Zhangke, A Touch of Sin is a portrait for 4 different people in a rage. Four people who are so oppressed by the ever changing economic climate that they lose control and ultimately their only outlet is death.  

The film is presented in 4 distinct vignettes. First we have Dahai (Jiang Wu), a coal miner who comes to grips with the corruption being perpetrated by his village leaders. At first, he attempts to spread his presumptions to anyone who will listen, but no one does. He appeals to the village leader, is brushed aside, and then is severely beaten for the embarrassment he may have caused. Once injured, he is publicly mocked thus leading him to lose all sense of right and wrong. Dahai takes a shot gun and confronts each person who humiliated him, a few simply in his path of destruction. As an audience, we are treated to an up close and personal bloodbath. The gore factor ramps up pretty quickly.

The second story revolves around a migrant worker named Zhao San (Wang Baoqiang) coming home for the New Year. Somewhere along his travels he see that he has picked up a hand gun. He expresses to wife that he will be leaving soon again because he is bored. He prefers the wandering life, sending money home to his family. We are never truly sure what it is he does, but we get a taste when he see him commit a masterfully timed armed robbery.  Next, we meet Xiao Yu (Zhao Tao). She is pretty receptionist at a sauna who is also having an affair with a local businessman. When a client requests she give him a massage, she refuses, He proceeds to beat her over the head with his money and call her names. Finally, she can take no more and attacks back, leading her to wander the streets covered in blood.

The final story follows a young factory worker (newcomer, Luo Lanshan) who bounces from job to job trying his hardest to become better. Just when we think he will settle at a position set up by a friend, he receives a belittling phone call from his mother, destroying any and all hope he had left.  Each of the four stories is connected by either another passing character in a scene, by a picture, or a location in the film. It has a bit of a 6 degrees feeling. Zhangke explains that these 4 stories are based on actual events that transpired in China in recent years. Contemporary life in China is changing so very rapidly that people are turning to violence as a means of self satisfaction. Much like the socioeconomic divide we have here in the US. We are seeing violent crime on the rise within the lower income brackets and the almost complete dissolution of the middle class.  A Touch of Sin will hit home for anyone who has ever felt the oppression of the economy. While it could have been a bit shorter in length, the story mostly keeps you engaged, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s a sort of “Damn the Man” story, but in a way gone horribly awry.

VERDICT: A Solid Choice

Written and Directed by: Jia Zhangke Starring: Jiang Wu, Wang Baoqiang, Zhao Tao, Luo Lanshan Country: China Language: Chinese with English Subtitles Content Advisory: Gory Violence and Language

BOTTOM LINE:  It will make you think twice before you act. The stories will ring true in one way or another. Money can truly be the root of all evil.