Penitentiary Angel (1995): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1995, Penitentiary Angel is a drama film directed by Xie Jin, running about 105 minutes.

What it’s about. This is a story about seven female prisoners each with different backgrounds, living within the one prison. At the beginning of the story, a new inmate Ding Qing Er arrives with tears streaming down her face, but told that it's too late to cry. The story continues to slowly reveal the lives of the female prisoners, and each of their struggles to have ended up where they are today. There's the mother who's husband keeps giving false promises of taking her and her child to America; the prostitute who was raped; the lesbian who was given up and betrayed by the Red Army; among others, and there's also Qing Er, who is in jail for theft after stealing costly medicine from the hospital for her dying husband. Through the lead of each other and also the kind hearted guards, they learn to form an unbreakable bond, and a way of dignity.

Who’s in it. Penitentiary Angel stars Vicky Zhao Wei as Xue er.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Penitentiary Angel has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Penitentiary Angel page.

If you liked it. Fans of Penitentiary Angel tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.