From Uniform (2003) and Night Train (2007) to Black Coal, Thin Ice, Diao Yinan has drawn portraits of pitiable characters flung in front of the contradictions of life under the guise of crime thrillers. The reason we might see his films as "socially critical" would be in the way he evokes social reality that is at the root of the portraits and contradictions he paints. Black Coal, Thin Ice tells the story of a former detective who investigates a horrific murder that took place five years prior and a mysterious woman who is the victim′s wife. Rather than tracking down the culprit, the film focuses on the desolate and broken hearts, loneliness, and helplessness of those left behind after the murder, and tries to convey the chilling air and emotions surrounding them. (JEONG Jihye)