This daring, poetic and grand-scale film by master filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke was inspired by shocking and true events that forced the world's fastest growing economy into a period of self-examination. 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 is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client. A young factory worker goes from one discouraging job to the next, only to face increasingly degrading circumstances.