Loosely based on a Tang dynasty story, The Assassin features Shu Qi as the titular martial arts expert who is sent to eliminate a brutal governor played by Chang Chen. The mission is complicated by the characters’ shared past as cousins who were betrothed to one another as children. The heroine must wrestle with her own morality and memories of a forgotten life. Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien made in this final work with his usual gang of collaborators (including cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing), delivering one more crowning achievement in Taiwanese cinema after decades of excellence and innovation. Shot in China, Taiwan, and Japan, Hou’s penchant for long takes and Lee’s signature use of natural lighting capture the quiet beauty of nature and subtle acting performances with profound authenticity, establishing a sense of realism that eschews the archetypal aesthetic of the wuxia genre.

Hou Hsiao-Hsien (b. 1947, Guangdong) moved to Taiwan with his family soon after he was born. After completing his military service, he studied filmmaking at university. In 1973, Hou entered the film industry, serving as assistant director and in other positions. He made his directorial debut with Cute Girl (also known as Lovable You) in 1980. Hou’s string of critical successes, including The Boys from Fengkuei (1983), The Time to Live and the Time to Die, and Dust in the Wind (1986), made him one of the most notable names in Taiwan New Cinema. The award-winning A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) cemented his status as a leading figure in world cinema. Hou’s most recent film, The Assassin (2015), garnered awards at film festivals such as Cannes and the Golden Horse Awards.