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One Recluse

2010 · 180 min

A sober, patient documentary that walks through a violent case and its murky legal aftermath, leaving a heavy sense of injustice.

Directed by
Ai Weiwei
Genres
Documentary
Overview
In June 2008, Yang Jia carried a knife, a hammer, a gas mask, pepper spray, gloves and Molotov cocktails to the Zhabei Public Security Branch Bureau and killed six police officers, injuring another police officer and a guard. He was arrested on the scene, and was subsequently charged with intentional homicide. In the following six months, while Yang Jia was detained and trials were held, his mother mysteriously disappeared. "One Recluse" is a documentary that traces the reasons and motivations behind the tragedy and investigates a trial process filled with shady cover-ups and questionable decisions. The film provides a glimpse into the realities of a government-controlled judicial system and its impact on the citizens’ lives.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Ai Weiwei
Genres
Documentary
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • justice
    • corruption
    • power
    • grief
    • isolation
    Places
    • big city
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    • documentary
    • true story
    Content intensity
    • Gore mild
    • Language mild
    • Violence strong
    • Sex none
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action2
    Horror2
    Humour0
    Realism10
    Romance0
    Tension6
    Darkness8
    Complexity7
    Emotional weight8

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    documentary
    Directed by
    Ai Weiwei
    Runtime
    180 min
    Country
    China
    Languages
    Mandarin

    TMDBIMDb