Les Éternels
Jia Zhang-Ke
China, France, Japan | 2018 | 136 min
Language : Mandarin
Subtitles : English, French
Qiao loves Bin, the leader of the local Datong underworld. Having spent five years in prison for defending him during a brawl with a rival gang, she sets out to find him. Divided into three acts, this powerful and intimate fresco depicts the initiatory journey of a betrayed woman amid the societal upheaval caused by the advent of unbridled capitalism in the 2000s.
A ceremony will be held before the screening of Ash is Purest White. Jia Zhang-Ke will be presented with the Prix d'Honneur at the ceremony. For reasons beyond our control, Claire Denis, who was initially due to present the award, will be unable to attend.
In his latest feature, which opens with shots made while filming In Public, Jia Zhang-Ke reconfigures his relationship with Datong. The elliptical narrative, spanning a long period (2001, 2006 and 2016) in the journey of Qiao (Zhao Tao) and Bin (Liao Fan), godfather of the local underworld, evokes reminiscences of previous works (Unknown Pleasures and Still Life) in its first two parts. While Ash Is Purest White features a film noir atmosphere – including a breathtaking central action scene – the story is primarily concerned with reworking Jia's favourite themes, such as the precariousness of love and human relationships. Following the changing fortunes of a couple who have fallen from their initial position of power within a microcosm governed by loyalty and fidelity, and forced to find a place for themselves within a brutally destabilised order, the challenge for the director remains, as ever, to place the personal destinies of his characters within the vast chronicle of China’s societal upheavals.
Emmanuel Chicon
Emmanuel Chicon
Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, 2020
Ash is Purest White, 2018
The Hedonists, 2016
Mountains May Depart, 2015
A Touch of Sin, 2013
Yulu, 2011
I Wish I Knew, 2010
Stories on Human Rights, 2008
Cry Me a River, 2008
24 City, 2008
Our Ten Years, 2007
Useless, 2007
Still Life, 2006
Dong, 2006
The World, 2004
Unknown Pleasures, 2002
The Condition of Dogs, 2001
In Public, 2001
Platform, 2000
Pickpocket, 1997
Du Du, 1996
Xiao Shan going Home, 1995
Ash is Purest White, 2018
The Hedonists, 2016
Mountains May Depart, 2015
A Touch of Sin, 2013
Yulu, 2011
I Wish I Knew, 2010
Stories on Human Rights, 2008
Cry Me a River, 2008
24 City, 2008
Our Ten Years, 2007
Useless, 2007
Still Life, 2006
Dong, 2006
The World, 2004
Unknown Pleasures, 2002
The Condition of Dogs, 2001
In Public, 2001
Platform, 2000
Pickpocket, 1997
Du Du, 1996
Xiao Shan going Home, 1995
Screenings and tickets
Monday 15 April 2024 20:15
Théâtre de Marens, Nyon
In the presence of the director
Trailer
Photography
Eric Gautier
Sound
Nikolas JavelleGwennolé Le BorgneYang Zhang
Editing
Matthieu LaclauXudong Lin
Music
Giong Lim
Production
Hui ChenJosie ChouPing DongRuoqing FuShôzô IchiyamaJia Zhang-KeElisha KarmitzNathanaël KarmitzJerry LiShiyu LiuZhe LiuOlivier PèreZhonglun RenJuliette SchrameckJiahuan WanTianyun WangZhongjun WangZhonglei WangShaokun XiangFei XiaoJinsong YangJerry YeDong ZhangYijun ZhaoWeijie Zhu
