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In the 2010s, Chinese cinema began to hit its stride internationally. The movies coming out of Mainland China were a hit in the international film festival circuits in the 90s, with many directors, actors, and films gaining acclaim with cinephiles around the world. However, during the 2000s, this continued in a way that didn’t break more into the mainstream consciousness. The 2010s marked a shift, with Chinese movies gaining more acclaim outside of the dedicated movie community, especially as the first blockbusters began to make their way abroad. Chinese cinema still drifts on the same themes as its predecessors, but is updated for more modern tastes and issues.
The movies released during this decade feature old and new directors alike. While many of the 90s directors continue to make arthouse films, others, like Jia Zhangke, have continued to put out excellent movies that have reached a broader audience. At the same time, many new faces, like Bi Gan, have created content that shows them as promising new voices to watch in the industry. While dramas might be popular for the small screen, these movies show a persistence that can only be achieved with cinema. That said, these are the best Chinese movies of the 2010s.
6/6 The Wandering Earth
An adaptation of a Liu Cixin, a popular Chinese writer, novel, The Wandering Earth is one of the highest-grossing Chinese movies of all time. Set in 2061, the Sun is threatening all life on Earth as it potentially is going to expand and destroy everything in the next century. As the governments work together to try and figure out a solution, natural disasters wipe out a large portion of the population, and, in 2078, a Chinese astronaut returns home and must learn to help Earth now avoid a collision with Jupiter. Thus begins his journey to try and salvage the planet before it is too late.
5/6 Ash Is the Purest White
Jia Zhangke’s Ash Is the Purest White features many of the usual suspects in his films, including his usual leading lady Zhao Tao. In this film, she portrays Zhao Qiao, a woman dating a mob boss in 2001. Located in the mining city of Datong, Zhao seeks to romantically run away and leave the lives they are experiencing behind, but her boyfriend does not want to do this. But one night, as Zhao operates a gun, the police claim the gun is illegally owned and arrest her for five years. Her journey extends far and wide when she is released, and her boyfriend is nowhere to be found.
4/6 Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Director Bi Gan has become renowned for his use of long takes in a movie. Long Day’s Journey Into Night is no exception to his filmography, as it features a 59-minute-long take. Told in a nonlinear format, Long Day’s Journey Into Night recalls one man’s experiences with a woman who has vanished. The man, Hongwu, agrees to help a friend one day in his hometown with the sale of apples, but when he fails to deliver, the friend is murdered by gangsters. Hongwu then becomes entangled with a life of crime, leading him across many different journeys, some painful and others nostalgic.
3/6 An Elephant Sitting Still
An Elephant Sitting Still was director Hu Bo’s debut feature, and despite it being an incredible one, he, unfortunately, passed not too long after its completion. The movie is almost four hours long, turning it into an odyssey. It opens with a gang member named Cheng reminiscing on his childhood, and his friend ends up killing himself soon after. The friend’s girlfriend blames Cheng for it. At the same time, several other characters will find themselves tangled in Cheng’s life. An Elephant Sitting Still is a portrait of humanity and the varying emotions that come with being alive.
2/6 A Touch of Sin
Released in 2013, A Touch of Sin might be one of the best movies Jia Zhangke has come out with so far. Four different characters’ stories are told in an anthology format. One man is the representative of workers at a coal mine, and after being dismissed by officials for the blatant corruption going on, decides to take matters into his own hands. The second story follows a man as he returns home to his son, but he does not reveal he kills and steals for a living. In the third story, a woman takes back her power and agency from men. Finally, a worker at a factory struggles with the consequences of his actions in the last story.
1/6 Better Days
Derek Tsang’s Better Days was based on a young adult novel, but made waves when it was released as a movie. Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee star as two young teenagers who find their lives suddenly intersecting. Zhou portrays a young high school girl crumbling under the expectations of the upcoming college exams and being bullied by her classmates. She meets a street thug (Yee), who ends up protecting her from the bullies and falls in love with her. The movie was a massive success in China and was the Oscar entry for Hong Kong in the Best International Feature Film category.
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