The twelve-episode unsolved case drama "Sandstorm" with a streamlined and high energy throughout the process has ended recently. The series is down-to-earth and humane, and has won reputation with its fascinating narrative skills and in-depth analysis of human nature. It stands out from the suspense dramas recently launched by a number of online platforms. It has a Douban score of 8.0, becoming the suspense drama with the highest rated since the beginning of 2025.

　　"Sandstorm" is set in the background of Kulu, a small town in the northwest. It starts with a re-investigation of an old case of burning corpses eight years ago. In the process of peeling off the threads and pursuing the real murderer, it reveals the absurdity of "human feelings are greater than legal principles" in acquaintance society, and also demonstrates the judiciary's simple pursuit of justice. In fact, the subject of a unsolved case is like a scalpel. By solving cases, it analyzes the social crux and reflects on people's dilemmas through layers of secrets.

　　From case reasoning to human analysis

　　The unsolved case is like Rashomon, which means that the weaving of plot clues has greater room for development. By cleverly hiding clues, allowing the audience to follow the series to track the case is the general idea of ​​a unsolved case drama. However, "Sandstorm" transitions from case deduction to character creation, combining the whole story of the case with human nature exploration, thus firmly establishing the characters. This is a great progress in the recent unsolved drama.

　　Unlike other unsolved subjects that are still in the "unresolved" stage of the case, "Sandstorm" has transitioned from the "criterion stage" to the "reversal stage". The starting point of the story is to review the real murderer of the boiler corpse burning case that spans eight years. The basis of the new round of tracking is to maintain judicial justice and aim to demonstrate the judiciary’s simple pursuit of justice and truth. Having clarified this point, "Sandstorm" has a higher intention and a more stable core, which further strengthens the audience's trust in the police and belief in judicial justice and social security. In the play, Chen Jianghe, a policeman played by Duan Yihong, said: "(the police) are not handling the case, but other people's lives." This also gives judicial justice and truth-seeking warmth.

　　Restarting the investigation of the old case has not been smooth sailing. During this period, Chen Jianghe had concerns and struggles, but in the end, he relied on his rich case handling experience and perseverance to investigate until the truth was revealed. With this change in attitude, Chen Jianghe's life over the years has also come to the spotlight.

　　He was selfish. In order to get his children to enter a good school and to maintain marriage, he wanted to return to the provincial capital and leave this desolate northwest town. For many years, he did not dare to disclose the truth that the master took the initiative to fall into quicksand to save him, which eventually led to sacrifice. When the old case was restarted, he was unwilling to admit that he had made mistakes in handling the case. When arguing with the leader, he insisted that "the murderer had confessed his guilt and would never be wrong"... But it was this selfish desire that seemed to be a weakness in human nature that gave the messenger of justice warmth, giving the audience a better sense of immersion and empathy. Because no matter what, he always walked on the road to upholding justice, never left Kulu, and never gave up the truth.

　　The Kulu Town in the play is a society of acquaintances. Chen Jianghe and many people involved in the case know each other and understand each other. The psychological warfare of multiple rounds makes people chill and increases the excitement of the drama. The drama also uses cases to eliminate the false and real investigation process, portraying the sentient beings in the northwest town with obvious personalities in a vivid way, which makes people feel, sigh, and regretful. From this we see that derailed emotions are only the appearance of crimes, and the source of desire is the greed in human nature and the narrowness in extreme environments. During the process of solving the case, Chen Jianghe was warm but keen, enthusiastic but not favorable, and gradually stripped away many people of disguise and pretentiousness through repeated searches, and insight into and foresee the truth.

　　From the logical deduction of case facts to the in-depth analysis of human nature, it is one of the new developments of "Sandstorm" in the theme of unsolved cases.

　　From curious narrative to the depths of life

　　Early unsolved cases often make a big deal about the complexity of the case, the diversity of the methods of committing crimes, and the distortion of the psychological distortion of the criminals, and pursue the effect of curiosity. However, with the development of unsolved cases in recent years, popular dramas that can become popular often no longer deliberately create a thrilling atmosphere, but instead turn to exploring the inner world of social life and seeking deeper precipitation.

　　The story depicted in "Sandstorm" takes place in the northwest Kulu town where resources are exhausted. It is set in the period of social transformation of industrial decline and economic depression. Some people want to "go out" and go to the provincial capital to seek development; some people want to "stay", for life or for family affection. The fate of several women involved in the play is that they intersect in time and space, reflecting and affecting each other, increasing the layering and richness of the story.

　　In the play, the widow Cheng Chun feels that Liu Dazhi, who is well-educated and can get into college, is "different from other people in the town". In order to "go out", she wants to hold him tightly as a life-saving straw, but she loses her life after losing her tuition fees. Liu Yingying, who had received higher education, failed to get into a wonderful life. She was burdened by her father's idea of ​​favoring boys over girls, and was coerced by her distorted nurturing kindness. She sacrificed herself to cover up her brother Liu Dazhi's crimes, and her fate turned a corner until she could not turn back. In the crimes of the new and old superimposed by "Sandstorm", those who try to use reason to surpass the law and interfere with the judgment results eventually ended up with a tragic ending. The series also uses this to show that those self-righteous "smart" and "gratitude" should not be reasons to cross the legal red line.

　　The design of the character relationship in "Sandstorm" is both complex and meticulous. From Liu Dazhi and Liu Sancheng, to Liu Yingying and Wang Liang, to Ding Baoyuan and Sun Caiyun, there are both father and son, master and apprentice, both brothers and sisters, and both colleagues and fellow villagers. As murderers or accomplices, their methods of committing crimes are actually not perfect. Everyone went from "co-conspiracy" by accident to "mutual harm", opposition, calculation, cooperation... these intertwined into reasonable and unexpected case plots.

　　When the sandstorm hit, the mud and sand were mixed, gray and yellow, and the people and things in the northwest town were shrouded in it, and the direction could not be distinguished. After the sandstorm raged, hidden problems gradually exposed, and the characters' fate was full of twists and turns, absurd and real. Through documentary-like detailed description, this drama integrates the crimes of the town with the changing urban life, and successfully upgrades from the curious narrative of the case to regional social development. This is another new attempt by "Sandstorm" to unsolved crime themes.

　　"Unclean Case Wind" Passing Through, "Sandstorm" Wins

　　At present, in the field of suspense dramas that the audience loves, the layout of the three major online video platforms iQiyi, You and Tencent has shown a three-legged stalemate. As a traffic tool, unsolved case themes gradually step into the exploration of human nature in terms of genre creation from the creation of suspense.

　　On the recent lively drama track, the "unanctuary" has passed, and many other dramas such as "Yellow Bird", "Chess", "Sandstorm", and "Above the Dark Clouds" have been released one after another, presenting a "fighting" trend. The "Sandstorm" at Youku Baiye Theater is particularly eye-catching. "Sandstorm" is not only unique in shaping the appearance of sentient beings in the northwest town, but also shows higher skills in dealing with social issues reflected by strong plots and characters' relationships. At the same time, the story also avoids the common problem of "opening high and closing low" that is often found in such dramas, and it is quite convincing until the end.

　　However, it is still questionable that the play compares crimes to the "flower of evil" of human nature that may be activated at any time. Describing some villain characters as a creative method that has to commit crimes driven by a tragic fate seems to be a deep exploration of the multifaceted nature of human nature, revealing the difficulties behind the atrocities, but there is also suspicion of "routinely" the crime. (Peng Liuying)

[Editor in charge: Tang Wei]