BLIND SHAFT (MANG JING) Asian New Classics

Banned in China, Li Yang’s BLIND SHAFT rips open the seams of Chinese working-class life to unearth a haunting story that’s as touching as is provocative.

In the darkness of a remote mine, loners Jinming and Zhaoyang kill a fellow worker. Claiming that the victim is a relative and threatening to alert government authorities, they extort a sizable compensation from their employer. The plan seems foolproof-until they choose their next victim. Fengming, a cherubic 16-year-old who has left school in order to support his family. Soon, the killers are faced with a horrible predicament-murdering Fengming is not so easy; yet saving him is next to impossible.

Shot in secret in China’s most dangerous mines (one of which collapsed two days after shooting ended), BLIND SHAFT offers us a glimpse of China-and, perhaps, our own souls-that few of us are likely to forget.