Welcome back for another featured Letterboxd List review! This week we have a list that has not yet been covered. So lets not waste any time and jump right into the Berlinale Golden Bear winners list and…Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014).
Title: Black Coal, Thin Ice
Director: Diao Yi-nan
Released: February 12, 2014 (Berlin International Film Festival)
Runtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
Available to stream on: The Criterion Channel, Kanopy, Hi-YAH!
In a northern province of China in 1999, detective Zhang Zili (Liao Fan) finds himself in pursuit of a serial killer. The killer’s modus operandi involves dismembering the victim and spreading body parts all over the coal plants of the province.
Unfortunately for Zhang, his investigation goes sideways when an unrelated shootout ends with two of his colleagues dead. If that wasn’t bad enough, Zhang is made the scapegoat and forced to step-down. The way in which he had to leave the job has caused Zhang to find solace at the bottom of a bottle.
Flash forward to 2004 and Zhang finds himself working security for a local coal plant. He’s still quite the alcoholic, often showing up to work hungover with a stench of stale booze on him.
He happens to run into some old friends on the force when their investigation leads them to his coal plant. There have been body parts recovered from the coal production line, not just at Zhang’s plant but all across the province. Under the impression that the killer from 5 years ago has resurfaced, Zhang trades booze for dumplings and decides to involve himself in the case.
But will he be able to crack the case that ruined his career?
I went into Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) knowing nothing more than the title of what I was about to watch. I went to the chosen list, filtered down to what was streaming on my services, and chose this one purely based on the title and thumbnail.
Director Diao Yi-nan almost immediately lets us know that we’re in for a bleak ride. We have the cold, dark, and shadowy season of winter. The almost sterilized feeling of a province full of seemingly identical grey buildings. The only pop of color coming from interior neon shop signs and the exterior of the Daylight Fireworks club. There is also some creative camerawork used throughout that helps drive home the cold and isolated feeling that lingers over you throughout.
The performances, primarily that of Zhang and Wu (Gwei Lun-Mei), are great throughout. In fact, in addition to the film winning the Golden Bear, Liao Fan won the Silver Bear for Best Actor for his portrayal of Zhang.
If I have a gripe here, it’s that things feel a bit uneven. The first half of the film has you on the edge of your seat. You aren’t sure what might be revealed next, let alone how. The second half of the film feels a bit longer than it needed to be. I understand giving things a chance to breathe, but the final reveal happened at a snail’s pace.
All in all though, Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) is quite the enjoyable thriller. If you haven’t seen it, consider this your recommendation to seek it out.
Well, if you have seen Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014), I want to hear from you.
Leave a comment below or reach out to me on Bluesky and let me know what you thought!
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