Ash is the Purest White (2019)
Director: Zhangke Jia
Writer: Zhangke Jia
Actors: Tao Zhao, Fan Liao, Yi'nan Diao
Chinese cinema is a goldmine when it comes to simple romance films. From the couple of films I have seen, they really exemplify the saying “show, don’t tell”. This is seen in the incredible In The Mood For Love. Body language, subtle looks, and clever cinematography is all that;s needed to convey love. Going into Ash is the Purest White, I had no expectations. It was showing at our local independent theater and I haven’t been there for a while, so I thought why not. I was surprised to see a similar attitude towards love that I saw in other Chinese films. Jia told an interesting yet simple story through actions more than words. How characters act is a greater indication of love than all the words in the world.
The film is structured into three main acts, each at different times throughout the lives of Bin and Qiao. This approach to their story was great because we did not need to know what happened at every single stage of their lives. As viewers we were able to deduce what changed between each time zone by subtle aspects. Jia focused more on visual cues rather than dialogue in order to convey the physical and emotional shift in both characters. Subtle details like showing us how long Qiao actually went to go back to Bin. We were not told in distance how long her journey took. But by spending such a long time showing us the ferry and bus scenes, that feeling of prolonged time sank into us. I believe he deliberately made those scenes uneventful in order to feel the time that passed. As viewers we just wanted her to get to him already. But that triggers another thought in our heads. If we aren’t able to wait a bit to see their reunion, imagine what she felt in her journey. That is what true love is. Sacrificing all for that one person. This is just one example of how Jia used the concept of “Show, don’t tell”. There are many more examples but I think its easy to see how Chinese filmmakers prefer to approach this genre.
In terms of the actual story, I thought it was a great one. The first act signifies the blossoming of the relationship. They are both in love with each other and benefit from one another. They equally need each other. Bin is in need of some emotional stability at a point where everything around him urges him to be harsh. This stability granted him the ability to forgive certain acts that I doubt he would accept without the emotional strength that Qiao gave him. Like when he was hit on the leg, if it were any other gangster, they would have them killed immediately. He taught them a lesson and let them go. Granted Qiao was there to back him up when confronting them, but the point still stands. This was the point in which they both needed each other equally. The second act was a tipping point. When they both went to prison, Qiao sacrificed herself for Bin. Resulting in him leaving in a year while she stayed for 5. During that time Bin was introduced to the world again, he was able to fill the void of Qiao with someone else. However, Qiao was at an intermission in her life. She was still living in the past, hanging on to that relationship as if nothing changed from when she first entered. So we see in this act that Qiao is in need of Bin. But he is not in need of her. She goes on this tiring journey just to see him, yet he does not have the courage to confront her. He knows what he is doing is wrong, yet he sticks by his decision. He continues this charade until she basically forces his hand. They hash it out and move on with their lives, but one is still left broken. During the final act we see the scales tip again but to the opposite side. Qiao goes back to her hometown where it all started. She came back broken and defeated. Miraculously she managed to pick up the pieces and start again, basically taking on the persona of Bin before they went to prison. In this act however, Bin is the one that is in need of Qiao. He is a broken man. Paralyzed due to a stroke from over drinking, he basically has nothing to live for. Even going to a point in which she never saved him that day. Regardless of his toxic behavior towards her, Qiao goes on a mission to save Bin. Although she saved herself after being shattered by Bin, she still found it in her heart to help him. After all of her tireless days, a miracle happens and he is able to walk again. What does Bin do now? He leaves her. That shocked me. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Bin is finally ashamed of what he did. He cannot even bare being there. Because after all he did to Qiao, she still takes care of him and loves him. He knows that he ruined this relationship and any other relationship either one of them wanted to make. He cannot bear the pain he caused. So he leaves. Where he left is the big mystery. That depends on how you as a viewer see Bin. Some may see him as selfish, just wanting to be cured and leaving her like he did all those years ago. To me it feels more like he cannot take the guilt. Maybe he did something to himself? That is reason why his “goodbye” was so blunt and to the point. He wants to break her one last time so that she does not go looking for him. It is an interesting way to end the film and got me to think.
That went on for more than I expected but I needed to talk about the dynamics of their relationship since it is the core of the film. Aside from the story, the film overall was good. It had great acting especially from Zhao Tao. My only complaint was the way they used the duration of the film. I felt like Jia did not utilize the first half of the film as effectively as the second. The pacing of the film picked up drastically after Qiao left prison. It is where most of my enjoyment of the film came from. Yet I still think back to the first hour and feel like it was lost time. Maybe if I watch it now, with the knowledge of what happens later on in the film, it may give me a new appreciation for the first half. As for my first viewing it kind of left me feeling detached from the characters. It wasn’t until the second act that I began to actually care about the fates of both Bin and Qiao. Regardless I still feel like it is a film that you should watch. It may be slow at times towards the beginning, but the narrative makes it worthwhile. It makes you think about how love can change a person, it can make them do unspeakable things. It can also drive your life in a direction that you were never anticipating. Yet in the face of love, all reason fades away. Because it blinds you. So all you end up seeing is how to get to that love. That is what this film is about and it is why you should watch it regardless of the number I am about to type out. Because with multiple viewings I can easily see this film at a much higher place in my mind. Do yourself a favor and check this film out if you have the chance.
