Sandstorm

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Sandstorm

Released Sep 4, 2009

1h 16m

Drama

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4 Reviews

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100+ Ratings

Trapped by a massive sandstorm, a policeman (Rong Tian) thinks back on his persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and the memories torment him.

Aaron Hillis

Village Voice

At best, it's a perfunctory narrative, complete with title cards that clunkily hit the same bullet points that might appear on one of those rally fliers.

Sep 9, 2009

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Has a static, playlike tone exacerbated by stilted performances and meager production values.

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 4, 2009

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S. James Snyder

Time Out

What could have been a riveting thriller about a guilt-riddled cop cracking up instead becomes a series of monster-versus-saint confrontations and some seriously hammy advocacy.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 2, 2009

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A missed opportunity...A sporadically provocative, contrived and uneven dramatic thriller that lacks emotional resonance and insight while leaving the viewer feeling ultimately underwhelmed.

Rated: 5.25/10

Sep 7, 2009

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Harry B

This movie was amazing, it helped me find my inner self and opened my third eye

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

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Audience Member

Although RT critics' comments of Sandstorm are discouraging, curiosity got the better of me. Wow! Sandstorm is a powerful film! It may be a low budget film and the actors may not be the most experienced ones, but the story and the message truly touched my heart. It would be very hard for someone who has never lived under a totalitarian regime to imagine how could something like this happen in modern China - the excruciating torture techniques used on ordinary citizens who follow a peaceful spiritual practice, called "Falun Gong," and the extent of the mental control that the Communist Regime exert on its own people. (The depiction of the torture scenes are watered down, but one gets the idea) Although the technical aspect of the film may seem a bit rudimentary, the film pokes at our conscience and brings a hopeful message to mankind.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

Very powerful film and completely relevant (even if I was involved in making it!). Check out the trailer here: http://web.mac.com/gifted01/iWeb/jayagibson/Sandstorm.html

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Amazingly crafted film, one of the few films that explores the reality Falun Gong practitioners face in China. When seeing it I also saw many different stories of practitioners that I was familiar with.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Michael Mahonen

Director

Rong Tian

Hetian Ying

Li-Li Li

The Practitioner

Angela Huang

Young Policewoman

Steve Hong

Supervisor

Cheng Guang

Young Policeman

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Synopsis

Trapped by a massive sandstorm, a policeman (Rong Tian) thinks back on his persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and the memories torment him.

Director: Michael Mahonen
Producer: Michael Mahonen, Rebecca Boudreau
Screenwriter: Michael Mahonen
Distributor: Requisite Films
Production Co: New Tang Dynasty Films, NTD Productions, Requisite Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 4, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 3, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7K
Runtime: 1h 16m