Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin is a tetraptych of frustration, anxiety, and ultimately, violence. Each of the four sections examines violence in modern day China from a different perspective: 1) Violence as protest/justice, 2) Violence as emotional catharsis, 3) Violence as self-defense, 4) Violence as escape. Each section is also dominated by their own symbols: 1) Fruit, 2) Meat/Animals for the Slaughter, 3) Snakes, 4) Buddha. The film was criticized for having a "weak" screenplay. But I disagree. The screenplay accomplished exactly what it set out to do: create a stifling atmosphere where the characters' actions can be seen not just as natural, but as inevitable conclusions given their environments and societal pressures. I'm willing to bet that the last section is the part where people began to grow tired of the screenplay. And to an extent, that is understandable. It is slower, more gradually paced, and less visceral than the other three segments. But the point of the fourth segment is that it is an inverted romance story where the two potential lovers are doomed by the forces of nascent Chinese capitalism. The young man is repulsed by the young woman when he learns that she became a prostitute so she could support her infant child. As he is shuffled from job to job, we understand the parallels between the two: they must surrender their lives and livelihoods to survive. He must sell his labor. She must sell her body. And though we only see the young man commit suicide, it isn't hard to imagine her following suit soon afterwards.
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