The second film from director Li Yang is the harrowing story of a naïve young college student who accompanies a classmate of hers to a remote northern village in the pursuit of a promised job. Instead of gainful employment, however, she finds herself sold as a bride to a brutish peasant and held captive in his home. When an appeal to local government officials for rescue fails, she resorts to several plans of escape but is thwarted at every turn by her “husband,” his extended family and the tightly knit community. Only when she is befriended by a village teacher and begins to instruct several youngsters does a plan for release from her horrific situation start to take shape. Director Li continues to expose the brutality of rural Chinese life as he did with his first feature Blind Shaft, but here turns his focus to the plight of women rather than men. With a harshly realistic gaze and using a largely nonprofessional—but very impressive—cast, director Yang establishes himself firmly with other groundbreaking contemporary Chinese filmmakers such as Lou Ye and Jia Zhang-ke.

Written by Li Yang. Photographed by Lin Jong. (95 min, in Mandarin with English subtitles, Kino International)