A Touch of Sin was inspired by four shocking (and true) events that forced the world's fastest-growing economy into a period of self-examination. Written and directed by master filmmaker Jia Zhangke (The World, Still Life) — called "one of the best and most important directors in the world" by the New Yorker — this daring, poetic and grand-scale film focuses on four characters, each living in different provinces, who are driven to violence.

An angry miner, enraged by widespread corruption in his village, decides to take justice into his own hands. A rootless migrant discovers the infinite possibilities of owning a firearm. A young receptionist, who dates a married man and works at a local sauna, is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. And a young factory worker goes from one discouraging job to the next, only to face increasingly degrading circumstances.