This article is a formal analysis of the poetics of Li Shaohong’s Stolen Life (2005). It analyses issues of mise-en-scène from the perspective of composition, camera movement and choreography of characters within the frame. Taking in equal measure from David Bordwell’s classic work on mise-en-scène and Adrian Martin’s recent espousal of social mise-en-scène, I shall be arguing that Li’s work presents rich social description but also provides an account of agency and transcendence. My analysis of Stolen Life acknowledges Li Shaohong’s deployment of familiar tropes from popular storytelling, while giving emphasis to the distinct variations that she provides throughout the film.