Ash Is Purest White (2019)
84%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: 27 wins & 56 nominations
Ash Is Purest White finds writer-director Zhangke Jia revisiting familiar themes while continuing to observe modern Chinese society with an urgent, empathetic eye
Ash is Purest White” is a movie that will make you feel all the emotions. From romance to betrayal to loss, it’s got it all. And let’s not forget about the powerhouse performance by Zhao Tao. She’s so good, she could probably make a rock cry. The film also gives a glimpse into the sweeping changes happening in China, which is pretty cool. Overall, it’s a great movie that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking. Just make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
Korea Pictures, L J Film Pandora Filmproduktion,
Distributor
Cohen Media Group
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Datong, Shanxi, China
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 21m
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Language(s):Chinese, Mandarin
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Country of origin:China, France, Japan
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 2019 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 16, 2019
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Tao Zhao, Fan Liao, Feng Xiao-Gang, Diao Yi-nan, Zheng Xu, Zhang Yibai,
directed by ZhangKe Jia,
written by ZhangKe Jia,
Drama, Romance,
Box Office $416.0K,
Cohen Media Group,
MPAA rating,
critic reviews,
Shozo Ichiyama,
Chinese society,
gangster,
gun,
prison,
betrayal,
loss,
morality tale,
social commentary,
globalization,
melancholy,
passage of time,
landscape,
anti-genre,
hard ways,
emotional justice,
grassroots gangsters,
nuanced,
black comedy,
powerful story,
towering performance,
Chinese provinces,
earthly effects,
return to form,
modern Chinese society,
urgent,
empathetic eye,
observant,
familiar themes,
industrial city,
rival gangs,
sweeping epic backdrop,
radical socio-economic changes
Worldwide gross: $11,821,877
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,911,675
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,850
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,517,086
US/Canada gross: $422,814
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $497,556
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,327
US/Canada opening weekend: $45,150
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $53,131
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,189
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Fan Liao – Bin
Feng Xiao-Gang –
Diao Yi-nan – Lin Jiadong
Zheng Xu –
Zhang Yibai – Director
Shozo Ichiyama – Producer
ZhangKe Jia – Writer
Director(s)
ZhangKe Jia
Writer(s)
ZhangKe Jia
Producer(s)
Shozo Ichiyama
Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
27 wins & 56 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (155) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (154) | Rotten (1)
Zhao Tao just gives this powerhouse performance. It’s so understated and her work — and the film as a whole — really do accumulate in their emotional resonance.
September 23, 2019
Christy Lemire
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
An intimate story of romance, betrayal and loss gets framed against the sweeping, epic backdrop of radical, socio-economic changes in China.
August 2, 2019
Namrata Joshi
The Hindu
TOP CRITIC
As a gangster morality tale “Ash” is pretty mild; as a picture of China and Qiao’s struggle it’s much better.
June 21, 2019 | Rating: B-
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Engrossing, surprising and affecting, held together by a towering performance from Tao – her gaze alone should carry a licence to kill.
April 28, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Hits its stride somewhere in the middle, bounding confidently towards its hopeless, poetic conclusion.
April 28, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Simran Hans
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A really terrific piece of work, blending social commentary with a quest for emotional justice. Very nuanced…
April 26, 2019
Mark Kermode
Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review
TOP CRITIC
Overall, watch the film for its powerful story of grassroots gangsters uprooted by the changes around them. It’s grim, gritty and yet abundantly entertaining.
January 20, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Rachit Gupta
Filmfare
Episode 44: Ash Is Purest White / Long Day’s Journey into Night / An Elephant Sitting Still
October 4, 2021 | Rating: 62/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
There are fascinating glimpses of Chinese life in Ash is the Purest White, and other moments that do not make a strong impression at all.
February 10, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
Zhao Tao plays one of the finest performances of her career so far, the return to form we’ve been waiting for from Jia Zhangke…
September 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Andrew Heskins
easternKicks.com
It’s another rigorous film by Chinese director Jia Zhangke about people transiting through Chinese provinces to highlight the earthly effects of globalization on the country’s contemporary times. [Full review in Spanish]
July 25, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
The pace at which Jia trudges with this pair of lost souls is beguiling, as is the streak of black comedy coursing through the movie’s veins.
July 25, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Matt Cipolla
Film Monthly…
Plot
In an industrial city in China, a young dancer named Qiao falls in love with a mobster named Bin. When a fight breaks out between rival gangs, Qiao uses a gun to protect Bin and is sent to prison for five years.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a powerhouse performance from Tao Zhao.
ZhangKe-Jia.jpg
