"Black Coal, Thin Ice" 

A poster of "Black Coal, Thin Ice"

 

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" by Diao Yinan is a gritty social portrait of Chinese remote areas, set in the late 1990s in the frosty reaches of northern China. The story is about a washed-up ex-cop played by Liao Fan investigating a series of grisly murders and even falling in love with a female suspect played by Gwei Lun-Mei, who gives out her best performance in her career. The detective thriller, with essential elements of film noir and crime film genre, represents Chinese cinema growing in aesthetic strength and successfully charting a new path in China's booming domestic market. In solving an enigmatic case, it also explores love and lust, and seeks a way out of personal hardship and dilemma. As "Black Coal, Thin Ice" bridges the gap between pure art house cinema and multiplex fare, the film brilliantly and self-confidently updates Western prototypes and put them in new contexts.

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