Red Sorghum

Set in rural northern China in the 1920s and 1930s, Red Sorghum centres on Jiu'er, a young woman sold into marriage with the elderly, leprous owner of a sorghum distillery. Carried to her wedding in a palanquin, she is noticed by one of the bearers, Yu, and the two are drawn together. After her husband dies, Jiu'er takes charge of the distillery and the surrounding community. Their lives are disrupted when Japanese forces occupy the region and destroy the sorghum fields, prompting the villagers to resist.

The film is Zhang Yimou's directorial debut, the first of the 25 features he has directed and the one that precedes Ju Dou. It was written by Chen Jianyu, Wei Zhu and Li Kezhi and produced by Wu Tianming for Xi'an Film Studio. Gong Li plays Jiu'er and Jiang Wen plays Yu, with Teng Rujun, Liu Ji, Qian Ming and Ji Chunhua in supporting roles.

Released in October 1988 and running 91 minutes, the film is a drama with historical and romantic elements. It holds a rating of 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb from around 11,000 votes, and 7.2 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 256 votes. A critics' rating of 8.1 out of 10 from 13 reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores on both platforms.