Red Sorghum

I have been a fan of Chinese fifth generation filmmaker Yimou Zhang since the 90s with his impressively cinematic historical dramas featuring Gong Li (Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, To Live, etc.), but somehow I missed his first film Red Sorghum (1987). It is another compelling historical drama about a poor woman (played by Zhang'smuse Gong Li) who takes over a winery in a remote region. The first half of the film is comedic and pastoral, but it soon turns harrowing when the Japanese oppressors arrive and force the populace into labor to build a road through the red sorghum that is used for the wine. The Japanese terrorize the community with brutal example killings of dissidents. Zhang uses majestic locations and colorful set pieces and impressive cinematography to add a sort of poetic beauty to the adaptation of a contemporary classic by novelist Yo Man.