In this masterful observational work, Zhao Liang records life inside a remote military police station in Northeastern China. The officers rule the inhabitants of the impoverished town with an iron fist, employing cruel and unscrupulous tactics in their attempts to resolve even the most minor infractions, but their brutality is often matched by comic levels of confusion and ineptitude. Laced with moments of surreal satire, Crime and Punishment offers a harrowing look into the machinations of low-level law enforcement in the world’s largest authoritarian state, revealing the methods police use to coerce suspects to confess crimes – and the consequences when such techniques backfire.

Followed by a Q&A with director Zhao Liang, hosted by Tony Rayns, a critic and programmer with a special interest in East Asian cinema.

Part of Zhao Liang: In Focus