Red Sorghum (1987)

China 95m, Colour
Director: Zhang Yimou; Cast: Gong Li, Jiang Wen, Teng Rujun, Ji Chunhua

Presented as a rural folk tale about collective labour, Red Sorghum is a story told by the grandson of a young woman who was sold by her family into marriage. Her fortunes briefly change when her wealthy husband is found murdered and she finds herself in charge of a distillery. A spectacle of colour, light and movement, Red Sorghum is an incredibly beautiful film that contrasts with the brutality of the Japanese army which eventually wreaks havoc on the idyllic rural landscape (Klaus Ming October 2016).