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Streetwise

Play trailer Poster for Streetwise Released Jul 21, 2023 1h 33m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Set in 2004 in Zhenwu, one of the many small towns in the Sichuan province where the young people who remain are those who could not leave. A gritty portrait of a group of outcasts in a fading riverside town as they come to terms with life's uneasy lot. With his father requiring costly and continual hospital treatment due to complications brought on by long term alcoholism, aimless youth Dongzi (Li Jiuxiao) ends up working as a debt collector for the local mafia. Further complicating things, Dongzi is in love with the boss's wife (Huang Miyi), a troubled tattoo parlor owner who dreams of divorcing her husband and fleeing Zhenwu. Breathtaking and unforgettable, this largely nocturnal neo-noir embraces a woozily romantic ambience, heightened by the alluring glow of neon signage, recalling the mood of Lou Ye's masterpiece Suzhou River.

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Simon Abrams RogerEbert.com It’s just over 90 minutes long, but “Streetwise” still feels like an epic poem, shrunken down and sparingly polished for maximum effect. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 21, 2023 Full Review Glenn Kenny New York Times This consistently striking and deeply sad picture is the directorial feature debut of Na Jiazuo, who executes it with an assurance that makes him more than merely promising. Jul 20, 2023 Full Review Amarsanaa Battulga The China Project [This] low-key crime drama is an example of an "arthouse genre" film whose artistry prevails over its narrative. Oct 22, 2024 Full Review Diane Carson KDHX (St. Louis) Streetwise delivers intense alienation. Aug 31, 2023 Full Review Andrew Wyatt The Take-Up A beguiling, purgatorial noir about the lost souls who dream of getting out, while knowing with dead certainty that they never will. Aug 29, 2023 Full Review Edward Douglas The Weekend Warrior (Substack) Quickly became one of my favorite movies of the year just by the nature of the storytelling and the filmmaking and how the actors pull you into the lives of these particular characters. Rated: 9/10 Aug 3, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1) audience reviews
Yang S 氛围感营造得很好,故事的各方面都没什么新意,温吞的叙事给人一种"大面儿上过得去"的感觉。影片从小九回到贞武开始变得不知所以然,弱动机叙述下的人物在最后看着不像是"命运使然的必然"、而像是"导演安排下的偶然",徒增虚无。 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Streetwise

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Set in 2004 in Zhenwu, one of the many small towns in the Sichuan province where the young people who remain are those who could not leave. A gritty portrait of a group of outcasts in a fading riverside town as they come to terms with life's uneasy lot. With his father requiring costly and continual hospital treatment due to complications brought on by long term alcoholism, aimless youth Dongzi (Li Jiuxiao) ends up working as a debt collector for the local mafia. Further complicating things, Dongzi is in love with the boss's wife (Huang Miyi), a troubled tattoo parlor owner who dreams of divorcing her husband and fleeing Zhenwu. Breathtaking and unforgettable, this largely nocturnal neo-noir embraces a woozily romantic ambience, heightened by the alluring glow of neon signage, recalling the mood of Lou Ye's masterpiece Suzhou River.
Director
Jiazuo Na
Producer
Wang Donghui
Screenwriter
Jiazuo Na
Distributor
Dekanalog
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 21, 2023, Limited
Runtime
1h 33m