Cinema
Devils on the Doorstep
鬼子來了
Jiang Wen · 2000
Synopsis
Towards the end of the Japanese occupation, in Guajiatai, a village in Hebei close to the Great Wall, a stranger who calls himself only “Me” hands the peasant Ma Dasan, one night, two prisoners shut up in sacks: a Japanese sergeant and his Chinese interpreter. He orders him to guard and interrogate them until the New Year, when he will come back for them. No one comes. With his companion, a young widow, Ma Dasan hides and feeds the two men, and the interpreter tries to make himself popular.
Context
The film is loosely inspired by a narrative by You Fengwei, from which it removes the theme of resistance in order to concentrate on peasant ignorance and the absurdity of war. Jiang Wen shot it in black and white, with a few passages in colour according to the New Zealand festival, and himself plays the role of Ma Dasan; the cinematography is by Gu Changwei. Presented at Cannes on 12 May 2000 in a version of about three hours, it received the Grand Prix there. Chinese censorship blocked it, its director having refused cuts; the ban has since been lifted.
Who it is for
A black comedy of two hours nineteen minutes, almost without colour; released in France on 14 March 2001.
Prizes and reception
Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, it was shown the following year at festivals such as the one in New Zealand.