Sightlines · reception

How Devils on the Doorstep was received

2001 · Jiang Wen · Devils on the Doorstep on Sightlines

The arc

Banned in China on release — Jiang Wen took it to Cannes without censor approval, and it has never had an official Chinese release — yet it's since become one of the most revered Chinese films ever, sitting near the top of Douban's all-time rankings entirely on the strength of bootlegs and word of mouth.

What’s debated

Fans still argue over what enraged the censors most — its refusal to flatter either wartime myth — and whether the brutal tonal whiplash from farce to horror is the point or a flaw.

Its footprint

The mangled 'greeting' a captive Japanese soldier is taught — '大哥大嫂过年好' ('Happy New Year, big brother and sister-in-law') — became an enduring meme in China, resurfacing online every Lunar New Year.

Where it stands

The definitive banned-masterpiece: a Letterboxd and Douban darling that Chinese cinephiles treat as a you-must-have-seen-this rite of passage.

Did you know? Jiang Wen submitted the film to Cannes 2000 without Chinese Film Bureau approval; it won the Grand Prix, but the punishment was severe — the film was banned and Jiang was barred from directing for seven years, not returning until The Sun Also Rises (2007).