The Old Town Girls

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1:38

The Old Town Girls

2020

1h 44m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Inspired by a true incident, Shen Yu's debut OLD TOWN GIRLS tells a tale about how an unsustained economic boom desolates working-class communities and familial relations. Tempted by living a new life as a professional dancer in big cities, Qu Ting bid farewell to her marriage in a decaying rust bell town, leaving behind her infant daughter, Shui Qing, who's been alienated by her dad's new family since. Never felt equally loveable as her peers, Shui Qing instantly gets carried away by Qu Ting's worldly charisma and maternal attention when the two meet seventeen years later. But the high schooler is soon forced to face the reality behind her mom's sudden reappearance and years of unglamorous survival. As dangers loom, she decides to sacrifice everything for the slim chance of reunification.

Sam C. Mac

Slant Magazine

The Old Town Girls never seems to have a strong enough sense of the kind of film it wants to be to pull together its more interesting elements into a coherent whole.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 14, 2022

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Amarsanaa Battulga

The China Project

Aside from a plot pulled straight from the newspapers, there is a more poignant subtext to the script: how dysfunctional families survive in decaying industrial cities.

Oct 22, 2024

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Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

An imperfect yet still intriguing debut feature, The Old Town Girls signals Shen Yu as a director to watch.

Dec 17, 2022

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Ray Lobo

Film Threat

Succeeds in constructing a suspenseful drama without adding unnecessary fluff.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 14, 2022

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Richard Yu

Cinema Escapist

The Old Town Girls will not leave you fulfilled or satisfied, but the essence of a good neo-noir film is not a "feel-good" experience. Films like these are meant to be dark and depressing, and The Old Town Girls delivers on that promise.

Dec 24, 2020

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Sarah Ward

Screen International

This is a mostly gripping film where no one ever knows where they truly stand, but everyone eagerly and stubbornly pretends otherwise. Smartly, Yu lets that juxtaposition guide much of the story, and the movie's tone.

Nov 3, 2020

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Steve C

Loan sharks should be charged for money laundering and/or terrorism, if applicable.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/18/24

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Shen Yu

Director

Regina Wan

Qu Ting

Li Gengxi

Shui Qing

Jue Huang

Actor

An Shi

Actor

Zhou Ziyue

Ma Yueyue

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The Old Town Girls: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Inspired by a true incident, Shen Yu's debut OLD TOWN GIRLS tells a tale about how an unsustained economic boom desolates working-class communities and familial relations. Tempted by living a new life as a professional dancer in big cities, Qu Ting bid farewell to her marriage in a decaying rust bell town, leaving behind her infant daughter, Shui Qing, who's been alienated by her dad's new family since. Never felt equally loveable as her peers, Shui Qing instantly gets carried away by Qu Ting's worldly charisma and maternal attention when the two meet seventeen years later. But the high schooler is soon forced to face the reality behind her mom's sudden reappearance and years of unglamorous survival. As dangers loom, she decides to sacrifice everything for the slim chance of reunification.

Director: Shen Yu
Producer: Li Fang
Screenwriter: Yujie Qiu, Shen Yu
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 23, 2022
Runtime: 1h 44m