The Conformist

“New Noir: Chinese Crime Films” presented six hard-hitting films directed by Chinese filmmakers who redefined the crime genre in China. The film series included “The Conformist” by Cai Shangjun, “The Dead and End” by Cao Baoping, “Lethal Hostage” by Cheng Er, “The Coffin in The Mountain” by Xin Yukun, “Black Coal, Thin Ice” by Diao Yinan, and “Free and Easy” by Geng Jun. Presented at Metrograph in New York, Brattle Theatre in Boston, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the series highlighted how a new generation of young auteurs has imbued the Chinese crime film with their own working methods, social observation, and artistic expression.

On the frigid Sino-Russian border, where fortunes are made overnight, unemployed middle-aged police informant Bo (Huang Bo) stumbles across a gun, and decides to try for a big break of his own as a stickup man. Shortly after he goes on the lam in eastern Russia, where a one-night stand turns into something more complicated, and Bo discovers the possibility of something to live for even as his time may be running out. A breakout role for pop singer Bo, awarded at the Shanghai International Film Festival.