Review: Ash is Purest White.

Have you ever got immersed in a movie so much that you lose the track of time and yet feel old, as if you have come a full circle of life, by the time the screen turns black again?

Jia Zhangke's "Ash is Purest White" saunters through the life of Qiao, or in other words, China itself. There is a clear parallel drawn between the life of Qiao and the transformation of China as a nation. Both, shown as vigorous, raw and languid, in the beginning of the film, which takes place at the early years of 21st century, undergoes several drastic transitions through a journey of almost 16 years of time, to the time period when the film ends, at the turn of 2018.

The first half an hour of the movie promises us a classic gangster movie aura and in fact it shows all the potential to matching up to any of the great movie of that particular genre. We are shown two strong characters, Zhao Tao's "Qiao" and Liao Fan's "Bin" aka "Brother Bin". Bin is the local mob leader and Qiao, fierce girlfriend. Even, when shown as fierce characters the director let us get a peek at their ambitious and fragile demeanours as well. The first change of course in the movie takes place when there is a rift for the shift in the power happens in the city, which is also struggling to overcome a depreciation of coal in the industrial infrastructure. By the end of this turmoiled first phase, Bin is nearly dead and Qiao ends up serving time in prison.

The second phase begins totally uncharacteristic with respect to where the first phase was going as we see a more meek and bewildered, Qiao and China, both holding onto the past in an almost nostalgic manner, stubborn to keep loyalty principally over the imminent changes that has happened and taking place around them. This phase ends with the audience getting more connected to Qiao as well as leaving both Qiao and audience, flustered alike. Though, for a brief moment it scared me that the film was heading towards a more "Magnolia" shift, from a very strong, potentially one of the best films ever to an ordinary one.

By the time, the film enters it's final phase and into contemporary times, both Qiao's and China's fate has turned so drastically that to an extent of completely unrecognizable though the core of the character and the city of Datong, remains the same.

This film is a statement on many things. Love, loyalty, betrayal and our vulnerabilities, individually and as a society. Qiao and Bin can be termed as a metaphorical characterization of our soul and our deeds. When our soul wants us to choose the righteous path and find a balance of an ideal world, our deeds almost always elude ourselves from that, in the face of changes, unapologetically.

Zhao Tao's portrayal of the transition of Qiao is one of the best performances ever graced the silver screen. Her real life husband, Jia Zhangke, who incidentally is the master behind this contemporary classic has succeeded in giving us a true reflection to our own society in the most compelling and enchanting manner.

"Ash is Purest White" is one of the purest films ever made. Totally worth it!!