A village doctor faces two moral crucibles — and you'll judge every choice he makes.
Tells about an accidental death in a remote village in the northwest, which involves a series of sudden murders and "suspects": village doctor Liu Xinshen, psychology student Liu Yun, and Liu Xinshen's wife Kang Xiaoyan, Chen Quan, who was accidentally killed in the countryside, and the villagers who had a grudge with Chen Quan, etc., who is the unsolved murderer? What choice will the protagonist and village doctor Liu Xinshen make after experiencing two moral tortures in his life? The film focuses on the conscience and selfish desires of human nature, and explores the meaning and value of life.
Cinematography
Northwest China's brutal landscapes become a character—beautiful and judging.
Acting
Qu Yang's Liu Xinshen: every micro-hesitation screams what words cannot.
Writing
Two moral tortures, endless ripples—no clean hands in this village.
Director
Chai Lipeng
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chinese rural noir ('xican') uses the northwest's harsh landscapes to mirror moral desolation—think Fargo meets Zhang Yimou's darker impulses.
Director Chai Lipeng's background in documentary infuses the village with unglamorous specificity; every 'suspect' feels like someone you could name from your own hometown.
CN
