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Ju Dou

Play trailer Poster for Ju Dou PG-13 In Theaters Fri Oct 3 1h 38m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Ju Dou (Gong Li), the young bride of Yang Jin-shan (Wei Li), who is the tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business, is forced to endure her husband's violent tendencies and condescending nature. Although Ju Dou finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, Tian-qing (Baotian Li), problems arise when Ju Dou gets pregnant. The couple then desperately tries to hide their passionate romance while convincing the merciless Jin-shan that the child is his.
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Critics Reviews

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Richard Corliss TIME Magazine The story is primal, and so are Zhang’s cinema strategies. Sep 30, 2025 Full Review Peter Rainer Los Angeles Times Ju Dou isn’t as luridly explosive as “Red Sorghum,” the previous Zhang Yimou-Yang Fengliang movie released in this country; it’s not as mad as that film. But, in its own dampened fashion, “Ju Dou” is true to its own depravity. Sep 30, 2025 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Visually stunning, with ravishing uses of color and beautifully modulated lap dissolves... Rated: 3/4 May 24, 2022 Full Review Gregory Nussen Screen Rant Known mostly for his Wuxia, Zhang's early-career film is an exercise in dramatic irony. Rated: 7/10 Oct 1, 2025 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) There is no limit in listing the many virtues of Ju Dou. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 21, 2023 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Powerful, poignant, and visually stunning, Zhang Yimou's Ju Dou was deservedly nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. Rated: A Feb 19, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $10,300.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/29/25 Full Review S R I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list. It was a sad tragedy about a cloth maker who buys a wife and can't have children with her. She turns to the servant who then has her child, who refuses to recognize him and it ends in futile tragedy. SLC DVD. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/22/25 Full Review Yellowfur D Whether it is a village or a small town, criticism and tragedy have been written. I saw resistance, and actually I saw true feelings, without words, burning like wildfire. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/07/23 Full Review peter w Zhang Yimou brings his unfailing aestheticism to a challenging theme. Sometimes beauty can divert attention away from problematic themes but he manages to draw the audience in to the stark issues of inequality and oppression. He doesn't romanticize power or its lack; instead, every scene intensifies the anguish that it creates. Even when he captures brief moments of happiness or relief it serves as a contrast to the tragedy that follows. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review william d Gong Li is her usual brilliant self, but the story just isn't as compelling as the movie's pretensions suggest. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Ju Dou is a romantic drama that feels like a Shakespearean play. The twists and turns of this story are fascinating and I loved how it messed with me emotionally. It had you rooting for certain people, but then there's a turn where suddenly you start to question if they've gone too far, but later it brings you back onto their side. The visuals are stunning, particularly the vibrant colors of all the fabric in the film. It looks beautiful despite the horrible quality of the DVD transfer that is currently available in the US. I thought the movie was a bit slow at the beginning and took quite some time before it got going, but once the relationships were all established it became much more interesting. I also think there are moments in the film where it indulges a little too heartily in melodrama. The plot certainly warrants some strong reactions from the characters, but it isn't played all that well by the actors. However, the rest of the performances were solid, and I felt like the personalities of the characters were all well-defined. I didn't love Ju Dou, because it is a lot of heavy drama without much levity, but I think it is a good movie that I would gladly watch again or recommend to others. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ju Dou

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ju Dou (Gong Li), the young bride of Yang Jin-shan (Wei Li), who is the tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business, is forced to endure her husband's violent tendencies and condescending nature. Although Ju Dou finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, Tian-qing (Baotian Li), problems arise when Ju Dou gets pregnant. The couple then desperately tries to hide their passionate romance while convincing the merciless Jin-shan that the child is his.
Director
Yimou Zhang
Producer
Zhang Wen-ze, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Hu Jian
Distributor
Miramax Films
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 1990, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Oct 3, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 3, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.3K
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Surround