Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

2021

1h 52m

Documentary

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73%

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30 Reviews

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From master director Jia Zhang-Ke (Ash Is Purest White, A Touch of Sin) comes a vital document of Chinese society since 1949. Jia interviews three prominent authors--Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, and Liang Hong--born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, respectively. In their stories, we hear of the dire circumstances they faced in their rural villages and small towns, and the substantial political effort undertaken to address it, from the social revolution of the 1950s through the unrest of the late 1980s. In their faces, we see full volumes left unsaid. Jia weaves it all together with his usual brilliance. SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE is an indispensable account of a changing China from one of the country's foremost cinematic storytellers.

Critics Consensus

Appropriate given its title, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue indulges in a certain amount of drift -- but patient viewers may savor its contemplative undertow.

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

07/19/2021

For those on the director's wavelength, however, the film offers a treasure trove of images and prose that are carefully shaped and off-the-cuff reminiscences describing a nation's ceaseless, quietly seismic patterns of change...

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Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

05/28/2021

3/4

The portraits here ... are sensitive and intriguing.

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Justin Chang

Los Angeles Times

05/28/2021

"Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue" resists the obvious, even when it finally reveals the meaning behind its poetic title.

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Carson Timar

Clapper

02/22/2022

There is a focused and incredibly powerful 80-minute feature buried within the film, but as it stands, the film holds more potential than it does results.

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Sabina Dana Plasse

Film Threat

10/04/2021

9/10

Although it is a bit lengthy, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is a well-done and beautifully expressed film for understanding a people and their history.

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Witney Seibold

Critically Acclaimed Podcast

09/17/2021

Gentle and heartfelt, but don't enter this doc without familiarity with its subjects. You may feel adrift otherwise.

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Zhang-Ke Jia

Director

Zhang-Ke Jia

Writer

Tao Zhao

Producer

Nelson Lik-wai Yu

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Synopsis

From master director Jia Zhang-Ke (Ash Is Purest White, A Touch of Sin) comes a vital document of Chinese society since 1949. Jia interviews three prominent authors--Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, and Liang Hong--born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, respectively. In their stories, we hear of the dire circumstances they faced in their rural villages and small towns, and the substantial political effort undertaken to address it, from the social revolution of the 1950s through the unrest of the late 1980s. In their faces, we see full volumes left unsaid. Jia weaves it all together with his usual brilliance. SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE is an indispensable account of a changing China from one of the country's foremost cinematic storytellers.

Director: Zhang-Ke Jia
Producer: Tao Zhao
Screenwriter: Zhang-Ke Jia
Distributor: The Cinema Guild
Production Co: iQIYI Pictures, Xstream Pictures, Wishart Media , Kylin Network Movie & Culture Media, Huaxia Film Distribution Company, Shanxi Film & Television Group, Shanghai Film Studio, Alibaba Pictures Group, Huayi Brothers Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): May 28, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2021
Runtime: 1h 52m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)