"Ash Is Purest White" criticized for negative energy Jia Zhangke: Negative energy is when you can't stand the truth

The film Ash Is Purest White, directed by Jia Zhangke, is currently being screened nationwide. The film was shortlisted for the main competition unit of this year's Cannes International Film Festival and scored a high score of 2.9 in the brochure, the same as Lazzaro, and only 0.3 points lower than Shoplifters, which eventually won the Palme d'Or.

On the famous North American film website Rotten Tomatoes, Ash Is Purest White still has a 100% freshness rating, with 29 FRESHs and an average score of 7.9. It is no exaggeration to say that in the eyes of Western film critics and fans, Ash Is Purest White can almost represent the highest level of contemporary Chinese art films.

"Ash Is Purest White" was released in mainland China last Friday and achieved good box office results, but it also received some criticism.

On September 23, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin criticized Ash Is Purest White on Sina Weibo, saying it was "full of negative energy and uncomfortable to watch," and that it was a "mediocre story about good people not getting good rewards, told through a dark lens." He also hoped that domestic filmmakers would make more "normal films about good and evil." But he later deleted the post.

On September 24, director Jia Zhangke also spoke out on Sina Weibo, saying, "I have seen Mr. Hu Xijin's point of view. I am busy with the film road show of Ash Is Purest White in Xiamen. I will reply to you when I have time."

On September 25, near midnight, Jia Zhangke fulfilled his promise and responded to the criticism of the film point by point. Regarding "negative energy", Jia Zhangke said, "Truth is the greatest energy, and the practice of not wanting to see the truth is negative energy."

He also pointed out that he also hopes that good people will be rewarded, but there are too many things that go wrong in the world that no one can control. In response to Hu Xijin's criticism of the "mediocre stories", Jia Zhangke said that compared to magical stories, he tends to understand mediocre life and is moved by the life experiences of ordinary people.

The full response is as follows:

At present, Hu Xijin has not responded to Jia Zhangke's statement. As of press time, "Ash Is Purest White" has achieved a box office of 54.95 million nationwide.