Qiao (Zhao Tao) lives in a mining town in the Chinese province of Shanxi. Her boyfriend Bin (Liao Fan) is a mob boss. As years go by, crime life brings consequences to their lives - individually and as a couple.

Though the film is long at two and a quarter hours, it is rarely dull. The two lead performers, especially Zhao, are engaging as are the occasional rural landscapes especially the ones captured by train travel.

The middle sequence is the most fascinating. When Qiao is on a mission in a strange place, she might act in terrible ways but it is still tempting to root for her; she's not much different from the corruption that surrounds her.

Overall, "Ash Is Purest White" is a fascinating journey albeit a cynical one that begins in 2001 and finishes seventeen years later. Whether it's taking place in a corrupt small town, a prison, or a chaotic travel experience, it is always intriguing in a mostly quiet way. - dbamateurcritic

Found this on the film channels, and it looked fascinating. You know what? It very much lived up to that billing despite not following initial expectations.

We have here a tale surrounding a young lady in love with a gangster who are top dogs in their local area, but then the usual story stops. It's set with the backdrop of the rapidly captalising China, with the light & dark sides that come with that, and we see the young lady's travails through this as well as her obsession for her selfish man.

Personally, I was a bit surprised to come on here and see that this has been little watched & reviewed. It's a wonderfully made film, and the story is an existential look at life, possibly absurdist, with an apathetic world waiting for no one and evolving crushing all those whose lives are on hold.

It's slow in tone, but it's very beautifully filmed and acted. It deserves more attention. Even though it will clearly tick more with those of a Chinese background, there are some very strong parallels for many of us in the Western World to learn from too.

It's cerebral, arty and unforgiving. That's actually a compliment, and I think I'm going to dig out more from this director. Clearly, very much recommended from me.

Excellent, deep drama with touches of crime/romance, mysterious and full of surprises. Slow but constant build-up, if you let it in it will pay off. A bit of cultural tourism. The leading female is outstanding. Definitely recommended to get into new chinese cinema.

I guess life accumulates and there's no way to purify it, not even by fire, hence the title, maybe. You're up and down and up and down again, but this entanglement of meaning goes deep, as it may also apply to China's severeness, where it's hard to start over and one seems to be stuck on one path by law, pride and a sense of righteousness, or maybe stubborness.