Nie Yin Niang (aka The Assassin) (2015)

Set in 18th century China during the waning years of the Tang dynasty, a young woman (Shu Qi) who has been trained since she was a child to be an assassin is given the assignment by her mentor (Fang Yi Sheu) to kill her cousin (Chang Chen) as a test of her mettle. Directed by the great Hou Hsiao-Hsien, who the won best director award at the Cannes film festival for his work here. My initial reaction was one of disappointment, the film seemed so slight and when it was over I couldn't help thinking "Is that it?". But I've come to the conclusion that its very simplicity is what makes it so unique. On a visual level, the film is simply stunning with Ping Bin Lee's painterly cinematography giving us images worthy of hanging in a museum. While its languid pacing may seem at odds with a martial arts movie, it's clear Hou Hsiao-Hsien wasn't interested in making a pure martial arts action movie and what he provides is more aesthetic and the movie's ultimate message is satisfying. The film is shot in both color and B&W and is mostly in the 1.37 aspect ratio though a few scenes are shot in wide screen.