Wang Shuangli is Deputy Director of the local Cultural Centre, and hopes to be appointed Director. However Old Ma is brought in from the country and installed as Director. This starts a long train of events with Wang's cronies using the bureaucracy to try to oust the new director.
Acting
Niu Zhenhua's masterclass in suppressed rage and fake smiles.
Writing
Dialogue so loaded you need a forklift.
Direction
Tight frames that turn offices into battlefields.
Director
Yang Yazhou
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Banned in China for its merciless portrayal of Communist Party infighting, yet somehow won the Golden Rooster for Best Director. The system criticizes itself only when it's too accurate to ignore.
The title's 'back to back, face to face' refers to guanxi — allies become enemies become allies while never changing position. Wang and Old Ma are the same man in different costumes.
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