Broken Anger in the County Party Compound is Karmic Retribution

This year, I’ve spent a lot of time traveling for business, sitting on high-speed trains for long hours, and watching a lot of videos on my iPad. Since the beginning of this year, I’ve gradually finished watching the Chinese drama County Party Compound, Takeshi Kitano’s 60-minute short film Broken Anger, and the Indian film Karmic Retribution.

County Party Compound is a main theme TV series produced by Zhejiang Radio and Television in 2019. It tells the story of the decisions made by the head of a county regarding current social issues such as policy, environmental protection, economic development, and people’s livelihoods. Although there are some political undercurrents in the show, the political depth is still not as profound as Hou Weidong’s Official Notes.

I had noticed the highly-rated film Karmic Retribution last year, but its unremarkable opening and the constantly shaking Indian way of communication made it hard to get interested. The first 30 minutes may seem ordinary, but they lay the groundwork for the dramatic twists that follow, creating a strong contrast. The plot is full of unexpected turns, and it truly is a great film. In comparison, Chinese directors seem to be afraid that the audience won’t understand, so the dialogue is overly direct, the storyline too flat, and there’s little tension.

Broken Anger is a short film by Takeshi Kitano, only 62 minutes long – an exception in itself. Kitano divides the film into two parts, which essentially repeat the same content. The plot is simple, but the narrative style is unique. Kitano has a talent for surprising the audience with the unexpected; he must have a deep love for filmmaking.