A Touch of Sin

Synopsis

Four loosely interconnected stories set across modern China, each based on real headline-grabbing events. Jia Zhangke blends wuxia genre elements with searing social realism to explore how ordinary people respond to injustice, corruption, and oppression. Won Best Screenplay at Cannes.

Overview

A Touch of Sin (Chinese: 天注定, Tian Zhuding, lit. "Destiny") is a 2013 anthology thriller film written and directed by Jia Zhangke. Starring Jiang Wu, Wang Baoqiang, Zhao Tao, and Luo Lanshan, the film consists of four vignettes set in different regions of contemporary China, each based on real events that made national headlines.

The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 66th Cannes Film Festival and won the award for Best Screenplay. The New York Times named it one of the 25 best films of the 21st century, and Cahiers du Cinema listed it among the top 10 films of 2013. It holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Four Stories

Dahai (Shanxi)

Dahai (Jiang Wu) is a coal mine worker in rural Shanxi who becomes the de facto representative of his impoverished village. When his complaints about corruption are ignored and he is publicly humiliated by the mine owners, he takes up a shotgun against those he holds responsible. Based on the 2001 Hu Wenhai incident.

San'er (Chongqing)

San'er (Wang Baoqiang) is a quiet, motorcycle-riding criminal who returns home for Chinese New Year celebrations. Behind his calm demeanor lies a deadly profession: he is a wandering armed robber. Based on the 2004-2012 crimes of Zhou Kehua.

Xiaoyu (Hubei)

Xiaoyu (Zhao Tao) works as a receptionist at a spa. After being assaulted by her lover's wife's hired thugs, she is then harassed by corrupt local officials. When she refuses to submit, violence erupts. Based on the 2009 Deng Yujiao incident.

Xiaohui (Guangdong)

Xiaohui (Luo Lanshan) is a young migrant worker from Hunan who drifts between factory jobs in Dongguan. As financial pressure mounts and his romantic hopes are dashed, he takes desperate action. Based on the Foxconn worker suicides of 2010-2013.

Cast

Director's Vision

Jia Zhangke, known for quiet realist films like Still Life, took a stylistic departure with A Touch of Sin. The English title pays homage to King Hu's wuxia classic A Touch of Zen (1971), and the film deliberately incorporates genre elements. But these genre flourishes serve a deeper purpose: connecting contemporary social struggles to China's centuries-old tradition of wuxia stories about righteous outlaws fighting injustice.

Awards

References

1. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Touch_of_Sin
2. IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2852400/
3. Cannes: https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/tian-zhu-ding/