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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

Play trailer Poster for Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue Released May 28, 2021 1h 52m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 30 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
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.

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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

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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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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer 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... Jul 19, 2021 Full Review Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com The portraits here ... are sensitive and intriguing. Rated: 3/4 May 28, 2021 Full Review Justin Chang Los Angeles Times "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue" resists the obvious, even when it finally reveals the meaning behind its poetic title. May 28, 2021 Full Review Carson Timar Clapper 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. Feb 22, 2022 Full Review Sabina Dana Plasse Film Threat 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. Rated: 9/10 Oct 4, 2021 Full Review Witney Seibold Critically Acclaimed Podcast Gentle and heartfelt, but don't enter this doc without familiarity with its subjects. You may feel adrift otherwise. Sep 17, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
Shanghai Film Studio, Alibaba Pictures Group, Shanxi Film & Television Group, iQIYI Pictures, Huaxia Film Distribution Company, Wishart Media , Xstream Pictures, Huayi Brothers Pictures, Kylin Network Movie & Culture Media
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)
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