Xiao Wu is a scummy-but-likable petty criminal who preys on visitors to Fenyang, the dirt town he calls home. But times are getting harder. His best friend is suddenly a "model entrepreneur" who doesn't want to know him; a visit to his family awakens old feuds; the leggy Mei Mei seems to be stringing him along; and the cops are launching a crackdown on street crime...Jia Zhang Ke has made a no-budget debut feature which gradually reveals itself as something quite extraordinary. Working with a brilliant nonprofessional cast, Jia strips away layer after layer of this loser's armor to exposes the very core of his being. The spectacle of [his] abasement becomes a truly exalting experience.-Tony Rayns

• Written by Jia. Photographed by Yu Lik Wai. With Wang Hong Wei, Hao Hong Jian, Zuo Bai Tao. (105 mins)