Judge

Director Liu Jie produced this dramatic film that captured the struggles faced by many characters in a legal system that is in need of reform.

In a small northern Chinese city in 1997, Judge Tian privately struggles with the loss of his daughter, killed by a stolen car in a hit-and-run accident. On the bench he encounters Qiuwu, a mechanic accused of stealing two cars. Perhaps influenced by his emotional state, the outwardly impassive judge imposes an almost-obsolete criminal law on Qiuwu that sentences him to death for his crime. Desperate to mitigate his sentence, Qiuwu agrees to donate his kidney to a rich businessman dying of a terminal illness, hoping at the very least that his impoverished family may profit from his demise.

Based on a true case, Liu Jie’s stunning drama sets off a chain reaction of suffering through its fascinating collection of characters, all caught in the after-shocks of a legal system in dire need of reform. Contemplative and restrained, Judge doesn’t wear its emotions on its sleeve, which makes their eruption all the more devastating. This marvel of storytelling transcends Chinese politics in its heartbreaking humanist revelations, finding flashes of redemption to pierce through the darkness.

Jonathan Wysocki