The New York Times by Dana Stevens
An intellectually engaging movie. But Mr. Jia's careful objectivity and regard for material detail are not matched by narrative rigor.
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Hong Kong, China, Japan · 2001
2h 29m
Director Jia Zhangke
Starring Zhao Tao, Wang Hongwei, Liang Jingdong, Tian Yi Yang
Genre Drama
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An amateur theater troupe in the remote Chinese province of Fenyang evolves from being restricted in performing only approved revolutionary classics that praise Chairman Mao to having looser limits under China's "open door" policy. Their fate mirrors that of the general Chinese population as the mainland undergoes massive socio-economic changes.
The New York Times by Dana Stevens
An intellectually engaging movie. But Mr. Jia's careful objectivity and regard for material detail are not matched by narrative rigor.
Thoughtful, melancholy drama.
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
The movie makes up in sweep and splendor what it lacks in psychological depth and dramatic impact.
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
After lulling us into a neartorpor, Jia sneaks in one of the most gut-punching endings in recent memory.
One of the richest films of the past decade.
Expansive and undeniably brilliant.
Awesome filmmaking. But it doesn't make for easy film-watching.
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After his wife divorces him and frames him for arson, a Polish expatriate plots his revenge.
A haunting tale of a middle-class Austrian family’s dissatisfaction with life — based on a true story
Two straight-laced newlyweds find themselves the guests of maniacal transvestite alien Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Decadence and destruction!
Buenos Aires is in a deep recession. As the money runs out, the relationship between an employer and her live-in maid changes dramatically.
After the war was won, the battle for peace began.
Ryota Nonomiya learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth, and he must make a life-changing decision,
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Thirty years later, there's a new blade runner in town.
A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane, turning to a life of crime in chaos in Gotham City.
A poor family lies and schemes their way into the employ of a wealthy household — successfully, but with great consequences.
A fourth-grader investigates the mysterious reason behind the sudden appearance of penguins in his village.
Kōichi Shikishima carries a heavy burden of guilt. But when Godzilla attacks mainland Japan, he sees an opportunity to redeem himself.
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