Ju Dou (4 Stars)

Like most of Zhang Yimou's films, "Ju Dou" is a tragedy. That's a forgotten genre nowadays. Putting it in simple terms, a tragedy is a film that doesn't have a happy ending. The main character usually dies, but not by sacrificing himself as a hero. His death is a failure. His death is often the result of character flaws. The best known tragedies were written by William Shakespeare, in particular "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet".

Ju Dou is a woman who's been bought as a wife by Yang Jinshan, a merchant who owns a dye mill. His previous two wives died young, and it's implied that he was responsible for their deaths. He blamed them for not giving him a son. Now it's Ju Dou's turn to satisfy him. He's cruel to her, beating her when he's not satisfied with her work in the mill.

Yang Tianqing, Yang Jinshan's nephew, works in the mill. He's devoted to his uncle, but he's shocked when he sees how Ju Dou is beaten every day. She asks him to kill her husband, but he refuses. Nevertheless, they have an affair, and she becomes pregnant with his baby. Yang Jinshan thinks the baby is his, and they don't contradict him. Tinbai is the heir, and they don't tell him who his real father is.

In a typical Hollywood film things would be sorted out in the end. Ju Dou and her lover would find happiness. But this is a tragedy. Everything ends with sadness and death. That's the only spoiler I'll give you.

“Ju Dou” is a critique of feudal patriarchy and moral hypocrisy. The vividly colored dye vats contrast with the bleakness of the characters' lives, symbolising both passion and entrapment. The film's lush cinematography and restrained performances heighten its emotional intensity, making it a haunting tale of love crushed by social constraints.