Ash is Purest White is a gangster film, but it might not always feel that way. As is the case with many films from Jia Zhangke, it’s a drama that spans long periods of time (2001 to 2017, in this case). And, while acts of violence motivated by the politics of criminals motivates the film plot, Zhangke is more interested in exploring the root of this violence, and the way women are ultimately the victims of a man’s violent behavior—even when it’s physically directed at other men. It’s an epic film, but also a quiet one, and while this strange mash of genres doesn’t always work, it helps make for a fascinating film.
The film’s first half is also its best. In it, Zhao Tao is introduced as Qiao, a young woman who enjoys the finer things provided for her by gangster boyfriend, Bin (Fan Liao). She is not, it should be noted, oblivious to his lifestyle, as emphasized by a brilliant scene in which a date in a club is interrupted by Bin carelessly dropping his gun in the middle of the dance floor. No, Qiao is undoubtedly aware of her boyfriend’s chosen path and the more unpleasant sides of it, but she would be happy to give it all up and settle down, finer things be damned. She truly loves him, and Tao does a fabulous job at emphasizing that in these early scenes. She brings such life to her character, refusing to fit any cliche that the genre has typically fallen back on.
Things take a turn for the worse when Bin is cornered by other gangsters and nearly killed, forcing Qiao to step in and defend him with the aforementioned gun. This sets off a domino chain that eventually puts Qiao behind bars, taking the fall for her boyfriend. These early moments which, essentially, make up the film’s first half, are electric. The club scenes are particularly stunning, with one extended dance scene set to “YMCA,” as Zhangke mines new emotional richness from the lyrics with each new plot development set against the song. He brings a similar energy to the fight scene that ultimately lands Qiao behind bars. It’s brutal, but hypnotic.
The film’s second act is far calmer, almost to a fault, especially when the first act does such a remarkable job at pulling you in and keeping you riveted. In it, a newly released Qiao searches for her partner, possibly to resume their old life but, really, to figure out why he abandoned her when she was in jail. It becomes an emotional epic about a woman who was wronged, setting the drama firmly in the world of gangsters but not particularly caring about what they’re doing. It’s a transition that makes sense: Qiao doesn’t care, she just wants to learn more about her actual relationship with Bin.
And this is where the power of Zhao Tao’s performance becomes apparent. She is absolutely brilliant in the lead role, delivering what are essentially two different performances. In the first act, she creates a character who will seem immediately familiar to any filmgoer, but then manages to surprise the audience with each new insight into her fully-realized vision for the role.
Then, in the second act, she sheds the persona we had previously become familiar with and delivers a largely internal performance that communicates a full prison sentence’s worth of experience in just body language and facial expressions. The best thing about this work? Tao finds a way to make the woman she plays in the latter act feel like a natural progression of the character from the first. It’s excellent, layered, and incredibly challenging—especially since the film doesn’t go overboard with physically signifying the progression of time. Really, only Tao’s hair changes as the years move on, but she manages to constantly convey how much her character has aged in the interval.
It should be noted that viewers unfamiliar with Zhangke’s filmography might struggle to connect with Ash is Purest White, as the film explicitly acknowledges his previous works with call-backs to his other movies. In my screening, certain scenes and characters were acknowledged with a knowing sigh or laugh from half the audience, while the other half stayed silent and wondered if they were missing something. While the film stands alone well enough and can be followed without complete familiarity with the director’s oeuvre, it does feel like something is missing. That’s not necessarily a knock against the film… just something to consider.
But, regardless of how well versed you are in Zhangke’s filmography, Ash is Purest White offers the truly stunning work of its leading lady, which totally makes it worth checking out. It’s an exciting gangster movie, a meditative drama, and a showcase for terrific acting. It’s hard to get better than that.
