Film analysis———<Ash is Purest White>
<Ash is Purest White> a film directed by Zhangke Jia, 2018
Story Arc Breakdown
- You——-a character is in a zone of comfort
Qiaoqiao is the lover of Bingbing (the head of the local underworld), so that she has always been Bingbing’s good assistant and got along extremely well with Bingbing’s brother. She has always believed that Bingbing’s worldview that the world is based on righteousness and always defend the justice in his heart, even if using violence.
- Need——-They want something
She has always hoped to build a family with Bingbing and stay together forever. But Bingbing as the gang leader, he is worried that he will put Qiaoqiao in a dangerous situation so he has not promised Qiaoqiao.
- Go——-they enter an unfamiliar situation
Once they run to a party together, they are attacked by a group of hooligans driving motorbikes on the way. Bingbing has no other helpers around and is beaten up and bleeding. Qiaoqiao picked up and fired a shot, scaring everyone away. After that, Qiaoqiao goes to jail and loses the man who meant the most to her.
- Search——-Adapt to it
In prison, Qiaoqiao’s most precious years of youth were lost and she aged rapidly. But Bin Bin never visited her once. Five years passed, and after her release from prison, Qiaoqiao found that the whole world had changed forever, but the only thing that remained the same was her sincere feelings for Bingbing. When she heard that Bingbing was in Chongqing, Qiaoqiao went to look for him. During the journey, Qiaoqiao still believes in the worldview that Bingbing used to believe in in the old days and uses it to support her in her quest to find Bingbing.
- Find——-get what they wanted
When Qiaoqiao finally finds Bingbing, who by now has a new girlfriend, Qiaoqiao’s persistence over the past ten years or so finally caves in. Penniless Qiaoqiao relies on her own survival wits to fend for herself and prepares to return home to continue her small business.
- Take——-pay a heavy price for it
On the return train, Qiaoqiao meets a man from Xinjiang who falls in love with Qiaoqiao at first sight and manages to attract her, but when he hears that Qiaoqiao has just been released from prison, he pays little attention to her. Qiaoqiao gets off the train and heads back to her hometown.
- Return——-then return to their familiar situation
Meanwhile Bingbing is left with a permanent disability in the lower half of her body due to cerebral palsy caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Qiaoqiao picks up Bingbing and they live together again but after everything they’ve been through, they don’t have the same relationship as before.
- Change——-having changes
The world has changed, Bingbing’s former minions are all doing well, some give him respects, more do not and give him a hard time. Only Qiaoqiao is unfailingly loyal to him, pushing him around and giving Bingbing respect in front of the others. One day, Bingbing found he could stand up. He sent a message to Qiaoqiao and left on his own.
Characters Archetypes Breakdown
- Hero
Qiaoqiao is the hero of this film, no matter how things and people around her change, she is always alone in her belief in her original values and can still face and accept her future life with grace after the betrayal of Bing Bing and the way people around her treat her. The film revolves around righteousness, but only Qiaoqiao holds on to this belief throughout. When she sees the distressed Bingbing, she chooses to accept him and show him respect and at this point she is more like the Bingbing of old.
- Mentor
- Threshold Guardian
- Herald
- Shapeshifter
- Shadow
- Trickster
- Allies(sidekicks)
Notes for this week
Three kinds of story curves by Kurt Vonnegut:
- A protagonist who lives better than the average person encountered a predicament, he broke free from the predicament, and finally got something better than the original.
- An ordinary person encountered a good thing, but then encountered a predicament. After he solved the problem, things changed for the better.
- A person with a bad life encounters many good things at different stages, everything seems to be getting better, suddenly encounters a predicament, and then becomes better again.
Story Arc
- Exposition: Introduction of setting, characters, problems.
- Rising action: Characters struggling with problems
- Climax: Tense moment of crisis.
- Falling action: Movement toward an ending.
- Resolution: Final outcome.
Story Circle
- You: A character is in a zone of comfort.
- Need: They want something.
- Go: They enter an unfamiliar situation.
- Search: Adapt to it.
- Find: Get what they wanted.
- Take: Pay a heavy price for it.
- Return: Then return to their familiar situation.
- Change: Having change.
Terminologies and definitions Character types
- Protagonist: Main character, the hero or story driver (good or bad).
- Antagonist/s: Stand against/challenge the protagonist but can have something to learn or redeem.
- Dynamic: Experiences inner growth/ change and learns.
- Static: No growth or change, repeats actions no lessons learnt.
- Round: Developed, understood, life like, deep relatability.
- Flat: Undeveloped, one dimensional, minimum insight.