Ash Is Purest White Review

Chinese writer/director Jia Zhangke’s whimsical new film Ash Is Purest White unfolds over the span of 17 years. Jia covers this passing of time slowly and subtly. The film is not one that rewards and satisfies viewers instantly. Yet it doesn’t take long for Ash is Purest White to become enthralling, an odyssey bound in a realism that is quickly becoming Jia’s own. Never staying long at the being and always deciding to focus more on the becoming.

Ash is Purest White in many ways follows the same themes that one would expect from Jia’s films. An expansive sweeping story through the ever-changing China, told in a triptych structure, the film shows vast similarities to his 2006 film Still Life, as well as his 2015 film Mountains May Depart. Casting his wife and muse Zhao Tao once again to be the films lead, Jia is well inside his comfort zone. However, it’s Jia’s way of showing change that constantly make his films feel like new worlds. He achieves this once again in Ash is Purest White, creating a bittersweet homage to the passing of time and the uncontrollable changes that come with it.

The film follows Zhao Qiao, daughter of a miner and the girlfriend to the rugged gangster Guo Bin, helping control his mah-jongg and gambling parlour in her economically dwindling town of Datong. When a situation arises that causes Bin to quickly ascend rank, they quickly find themselves target to emerging gangs. When a violent altercation between parties causes Bin and Qiao to get arrested, Qiao takes the fall. After five years in prison, Qiao is released to find that her world has completely changed. Bin and all of her former mob associates have moved on to more honest work and have turned their back on her. This causes Qiao to venture out into an augmenting China for revenge, but also with a opportunity to find a new identity.

Jia has always handled the passing of time beautifully in his films. Never does a title card appear to tell you that months, or even years have gone by. Instead, Jia wants the viewer to pick up on these changes through visual subtleties. Skyscrapers begin to appear, streets get more crowded, flip phones become smart phones. Jia makes China’s economic upheaval feel natural and never forced.

However, Ash is Purest White’s biggest strength lies in Zhao Tao. She is the heart and soul of this film, nowhere does Jia instill more emotion or growth than in his lead. So much of Tao’s performance is told through visual expression, she exemplifies such a wide array of emotions throughout the film, and Qiao’s journey results in one of the most riveting and complete character arcs in recent memory.

Jia’s script can sometimes suffer from pacing issues though, as well as slow moments that don’t necessarily hit the mark. Some odd creative choices also lead to narratives that feel incomplete or irrelevant to the greater story. With a runtime already over two hours, many of these could have been left out.

Don’t let Jia’s slow storytelling divert you from Ash is Purest White though, his ability to tell a deeply layered tale through a large scope of time continues with his newest feature.

Zhao Tao’s incredible performance partnered with Jia Zhangke’s visuals of a evolving China make Ash is Purest White a beautiful story of change.

Produced By: Cohen Media Group
Runtime: 136 minutes
Rating: Not Rated