The title of 'A Touch of Sin', Jia Zhangke's latest commentary on crime and corruption in Chinese society today, appears to have a double meaning. First the 'sins' in the title, refer to either the violent actions of the four protagonists Zhangke has culled from the headlines in modern day China today, or the ruling forces that led them to commit such violent acts. The word 'touch', of course is meant to be wholly ironic; as the violent acts themselves are way more than just a 'touch', and the level of violence (as Zhangke suggests) permeates the entire society.
But the title also refers to the 1971 Chinese epic action film, 'A Touch of Zen'. The 'Zen' narrative is written in the style of a Wuxia story, which roughly translates as 'Martial Hero'. Wuxia heroes often came from the lower social classes in ancient China and were bound by a code of chivalry that required them, according to Wikipedia, "to right wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove an oppressor, redress wrongs and bring retribution for past misdeeds."
The first of the four stories in 'A Touch of Sin', focuses on Dahai, a coal mining company employee, who is the former classmate of the corporate boss in a provincial town. Dahai, like a Wuxia hero, seeks to right wrongs and fight for righteousness, but ends up becoming unhinged, after confronting the boss, as he arrives at the local airport in his private jet. Dahai's main complaint is that the boss reneged on his offer of profit sharing to his employees. After suffering a humiliating public beat down by the boss' thugs and an attempt to buy him off after he's hospitalized, Dahai goes on a rampage and murders the boss' underlings as well as the boss himself.
The second and least successful of the stories involves a migrant worker, Zhou San, who dispatches three youths who try to rob him while he rides his motorcycle, at the beginning of the film. Zhou turns up at his mother's 70th birthday party but tells his wife that he can't remain at home. We later find out why: Zhou earns his money by shooting strangers on a crowded street and stealing their handbags.
Perhaps the most developed of the four stories, is the third one. Xiao Yu (Zhangke's wife in real life) is a receptionist at a sauna. Her married lover wants her to move to the town where he works, but she refuses, since he's still married. Xiao gets beaten up upon orders of the man's wife but later faces even more danger. A corrupt government official who we earlier see attempt to shake down a transportation worker on a public highway, attempts to sexually assault Xiao at the sauna. She uses a knife (which she took at the train station from her married lover, after he wasn't allowed to carry it on to the train), and stabs the government official multiple times, preventing him from raping her.
Finally, there's the story of Xiao Hui, a young man, who breaks company rules by chatting with a co-worker while work is going on. The co- worker is injured and Xiao Hui is ordered to work, with all his earnings given to the injured co-worker, for the time he's out on sick leave. Xiao Hui flees to another city where he takes a job as a greeter at a high-end sex club, The Golden Age. He befriends a girl there but their relationship fizzles after he realizes she can't escape her job as a 'comfort woman'. Xiao ends up at the grim 'Oasis of Prosperity', a housing complex for workers who toil endless hours on an assembly line. When the co-worker who was injured earlier tracks Xiao down and demands payment of his money, Xiao ends up jumping off the roof.
As a film, 'A touch of Sin', has a schizoid quality. On one hand, Zhangke's does a commendable job of exposing the ills of contemporary Chinese society. The disparity between rich and poor is illustrated in the first story, where promises of worker compensation are never met. The image of the local population, forced to come out to welcome the corporate boss at the airport, as he arrives on his private jet, sticks in one's memory. In the second story, the heinous nature of crimes committed by cold-blooded criminals who escape the bar of justice, is highlighted in high relief. In the third story, the plight of women who are exploited by sexually abusive men, who occupy positions of power, is revealed. And finally, the dehumanization of people in general, through assembly line work, leads one young man in particular, to take his own life.
Despite exposing the ills of modern day China, Zhangke, perhaps owing to his love for the martial arts action epic, appears to revel in the violence he purportedly so detests. Particularly in the first two episodes (and even in the third), the violence seems to appear on screen, for its own sake. There's a great deal of blood-letting but never any consequences (no one ever seems to react when someone is killed). There's more of a story in the third episode, but even there, the stabbing by the victimized sauna worker, has more of a vengeful than defensive tone.
The performances and the cinematography are persuasive. Nonetheless, the pacing is quite languid and there's a lack of solid character development. Yes, Zhangke has managed to illustrate a number of stories culled from contemporary headlines, detailing the basic facts about each character—but unfortunately, the overall narrative called for more (and certainly with a little less sensationalism). As of this date, it's my understanding that 'A Touch of Sin' has not been shown in China, due to censorship. Hopefully, that situation will change, since the film also offers some correctives for those who maintain an iron grip on millions, who toil, with little hope for economic and political freedom.
But the title also refers to the 1971 Chinese epic action film, 'A Touch of Zen'. The 'Zen' narrative is written in the style of a Wuxia story, which roughly translates as 'Martial Hero'. Wuxia heroes often came from the lower social classes in ancient China and were bound by a code of chivalry that required them, according to Wikipedia, "to right wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove an oppressor, redress wrongs and bring retribution for past misdeeds."
The first of the four stories in 'A Touch of Sin', focuses on Dahai, a coal mining company employee, who is the former classmate of the corporate boss in a provincial town. Dahai, like a Wuxia hero, seeks to right wrongs and fight for righteousness, but ends up becoming unhinged, after confronting the boss, as he arrives at the local airport in his private jet. Dahai's main complaint is that the boss reneged on his offer of profit sharing to his employees. After suffering a humiliating public beat down by the boss' thugs and an attempt to buy him off after he's hospitalized, Dahai goes on a rampage and murders the boss' underlings as well as the boss himself.
The second and least successful of the stories involves a migrant worker, Zhou San, who dispatches three youths who try to rob him while he rides his motorcycle, at the beginning of the film. Zhou turns up at his mother's 70th birthday party but tells his wife that he can't remain at home. We later find out why: Zhou earns his money by shooting strangers on a crowded street and stealing their handbags.
Perhaps the most developed of the four stories, is the third one. Xiao Yu (Zhangke's wife in real life) is a receptionist at a sauna. Her married lover wants her to move to the town where he works, but she refuses, since he's still married. Xiao gets beaten up upon orders of the man's wife but later faces even more danger. A corrupt government official who we earlier see attempt to shake down a transportation worker on a public highway, attempts to sexually assault Xiao at the sauna. She uses a knife (which she took at the train station from her married lover, after he wasn't allowed to carry it on to the train), and stabs the government official multiple times, preventing him from raping her.
Finally, there's the story of Xiao Hui, a young man, who breaks company rules by chatting with a co-worker while work is going on. The co- worker is injured and Xiao Hui is ordered to work, with all his earnings given to the injured co-worker, for the time he's out on sick leave. Xiao Hui flees to another city where he takes a job as a greeter at a high-end sex club, The Golden Age. He befriends a girl there but their relationship fizzles after he realizes she can't escape her job as a 'comfort woman'. Xiao ends up at the grim 'Oasis of Prosperity', a housing complex for workers who toil endless hours on an assembly line. When the co-worker who was injured earlier tracks Xiao down and demands payment of his money, Xiao ends up jumping off the roof.
As a film, 'A touch of Sin', has a schizoid quality. On one hand, Zhangke's does a commendable job of exposing the ills of contemporary Chinese society. The disparity between rich and poor is illustrated in the first story, where promises of worker compensation are never met. The image of the local population, forced to come out to welcome the corporate boss at the airport, as he arrives on his private jet, sticks in one's memory. In the second story, the heinous nature of crimes committed by cold-blooded criminals who escape the bar of justice, is highlighted in high relief. In the third story, the plight of women who are exploited by sexually abusive men, who occupy positions of power, is revealed. And finally, the dehumanization of people in general, through assembly line work, leads one young man in particular, to take his own life.
Despite exposing the ills of modern day China, Zhangke, perhaps owing to his love for the martial arts action epic, appears to revel in the violence he purportedly so detests. Particularly in the first two episodes (and even in the third), the violence seems to appear on screen, for its own sake. There's a great deal of blood-letting but never any consequences (no one ever seems to react when someone is killed). There's more of a story in the third episode, but even there, the stabbing by the victimized sauna worker, has more of a vengeful than defensive tone.
The performances and the cinematography are persuasive. Nonetheless, the pacing is quite languid and there's a lack of solid character development. Yes, Zhangke has managed to illustrate a number of stories culled from contemporary headlines, detailing the basic facts about each character—but unfortunately, the overall narrative called for more (and certainly with a little less sensationalism). As of this date, it's my understanding that 'A Touch of Sin' has not been shown in China, due to censorship. Hopefully, that situation will change, since the film also offers some correctives for those who maintain an iron grip on millions, who toil, with little hope for economic and political freedom.