FILM REVIEW: Ash Is Purest White

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Jia Zhangke is a consummate storyteller—an artist. He takes his time weaving his magic. His pacing is deliberate (Matthieu Laclau, editor). He drags you into a universe where people on the fringes, who menace each other, are no more than small-time crooks in a very big country. And the duet he’s created between the two scoundrels is filled with pauses and silent moments that give you time to explore them.