Sha Fu

Sha Fu based on a book by Ang Li, that caused a storm with its explicit descriptions of violence and bloody sex. It is the story of Lin Shih, married off by her uncle to a violent brute who abuses her and rapes her every night. She is only allowed to eat if she groans when having sex. He drives her to the brink of humiliation, beats her and starves her. In the small community where the couple lives, gossip and backbiting run riot; her cries of pain are interpreted by the women of the village as expressions of pleasure, a sign of adultery. In despair, Lin murders him. She is arrested and suspected of adultery; no one believes in an ‘innocent’ murder.