Red Sorghum

1h 31m · 1988 · Directed by Zhang Yimou · 3.8 / 5 on Letterboxd

Red Sorghum (1988) runs 1h 31m, directed by Zhang Yimou. It is one of 3,647 films in the 100 Minute Movies catalog — every one rated 3.0 or higher by Letterboxd members and short enough to finish in an evening.

An old leper who owned a remote sorghum winery dies. Jiu'er, the wife bought by the leper, and her lover, identified only as "my Grandpa" by the narrator, take over the winery and set up an idealized quasi-matriarchal community headed by Jiu'er. When the Japanese invaders subject the area to their rule and cut down the sorghum to make way for a road, the community rises up and resists as the sorghum grows anew.

Genres: Drama, Romance, History

No US streaming listed when we last checked (9 July 2026). Availability changes often.