Red Sorghum is a 1988 Chinese film about a young woman's life working in a distillery for sorghum liquor. It is based on the first two parts of the novel Red Sorghum by Nobel laureate Mo Yan.
The film marked the directorial debut of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, and the acting debut of film star Gong Li. With its lush and lusty portrayal of peasant life, it immediately vaulted Zhang to the forefront of the Fifth Generation of Chinese directors. The film won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
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Synopsis
The film takes place in a rural village in China's eastern province of Shandong during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It is narrated from the point of view of the protagonist's grandson, who reminisces about his grandmother, Jiu'er. She was a poor girl who was sent by her parents into a pre-arranged marriage with an old man, Li Datou, who owned a sorghum wine distillery and who had leprosy.