Casting off the past

"When we shot a chase scene in the streets of a town, thousands of locals flooded to the location, believing Hu Ge would be there. We hadn't planned for this and even I was held back by the crowds. All my directorial work had to be done behind a remote monitor," recalls the director.

Interestingly, all the scenes were shot in the same order as the narrative sequence of the film, making it easier for the performers to immerse themselves in their roles and develop their characters more fully-but at the cost of forcing up the budget.

Diao is known for his style of using the genre of crime thrillers to explore the complexity of humanity. He says the new film again turns his lens on struggling people existing on the fringes of society, examining their attempts to find self-esteem and meaning.

For instance, Hu's character leaves his wife and son for five years, making a living stealing motorbikes. But the film doesn't simply define his role as a thief or a ruthless cop killer but also as a man racked by regret, who wants to use his life as the last stake to make a brighter future for his family.

Taiwan actress Kwai-who also starred in Black Coal, Thin Ice-plays in the other main role as a woman struggling on the margins of society.

Her character, Liu Ai-ai, works as a "swimming escort", a euphemism for sex workers who ply their trade on the shores of a local lake. A gangster assigns Liu the task of entrapping Zhou in exchange for the hefty reward, but she instead develops feelings for him.