I completed my series on Jia Zhangke about three months ago. While it's fair to say that he never quite got his tenterhooks in me, I think he's made 2-3 amazing, likely classic films (at least). Working within the constraints of the mainland Chinese film industry for the better part of his career, he's managed to make films that, at least on some level, are critical of his homeland, its policies and how that effects the people. As not really either a 'politics guy' or a 'history buff' I will admit that the resonance of these ideas sometimes (oftentimes?) shot right over my head. But at his best, Jia's movies strike a universal chord. In theory, I wanted to like his first three movies more since they were made before his cooperation with the government system, but I couldn't connect with them and actually liked them the least.
Since the early 00s, he's worked consistently with the actress Zhao Tao (his wiiiiife) and this collaboration cannot be ignored when discussing his filmography. Zhao delivers consistently wonderful performances and is truly central to the success of her husband's best pictures. In 2023, I devoured everything and anything I could find by the writer-director: 21 works in all (10 features, 4 docs, and 7 shorts). For the ranking below I've omitted the documentary work as well as his debut 59-minute featurette and 2008's 24 City (a hybrid doc-fictional narrative).
8. Platform
7. Pickpocket
6. Unknown Pleasures
5. Mountains May Depart
4. Ash is the Purest White
3. The World
2. A Touch of Sin
1. Still Life
7. Pickpocket
6. Unknown Pleasures
5. Mountains May Depart
4. Ash is the Purest White
3. The World
2. A Touch of Sin
1. Still Life