In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls are assaulted by a middle-aged man in a motel. Mia, a teenager who was working on reception that night, is the only witness. For fear of losing her job, she says nothing. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Wen, one of the victims, finds that her troubles have only just begun. Trapped in a world that offers them no safety, Mia and Wen will have to find their own way out.
Remarkable youth performances anchor Vivian Qu's rigorous procedural Angels Wear White, about the adults who exploit children-and the systemic misogyny that protects them.
Qu unpacks much that matters in Angels Wear White, including the abuse of power and importance of status and wealth in Chinese society, but her most thoughtful, nuanced observations involve female sexuality.
Anchored by two strong performances...Qu rarely veers away from one girl or the other, a smart and sensitive decision to witness and digest the world from that perspective.
Shooting largely with a handheld camera, Qu generates a jittery energy that makes the characters' stress palpable. This feeling escalates as the investigation closes in.
