Design of Death
Director Guan Hu's inventive narration and lead actor Huang Bo's boisterous acting make the film a thought-provoking black comedy, featuring a special character rarely seen in domestic films. Protagonist Niu Jieshi is a nuisance, who does not fit into a community's social and cultural structure and is consequently shunned, even by people in the community.
The film reminds Chinese viewers of Lu Xun's A Madman's Diary, in which an idiot is destroyed when he violates a community's code of conduct.
The film may seem like a village farce but is rich with metaphor and ideas about one's relationship with established social customs.