The subtitle of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet’s first feature, from 1965, “Only Violence Helps Where Violence Reigns,” suggests the fierce political program evoked by their rigorous aesthetic....
The film's plot centers on rival lion dance troupes in Singapore -- a liberal-looking faction of a traditional troupe, Tiger Crane (led by Wang Wei Liang), breaks away from it to form a new one called...