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The Old Town Girls

Play trailer 1:38 Poster for The Old Town Girls 2020 1h 44m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.

Critics Reviews

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Sam C. Mac Slant Magazine 12/14/2022
2/4
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. Go to Full Review Amarsanaa Battulga The China Project 10/22/2024
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. Go to Full Review Lee Jutton Film Inquiry 12/17/2022
An imperfect yet still intriguing debut feature, The Old Town Girls signals Shen Yu as a director to watch. Go to Full Review Ray Lobo Film Threat 12/14/2022
7/10
Succeeds in constructing a suspenseful drama without adding unnecessary fluff. Go to Full Review Richard Yu Cinema Escapist 12/24/2020
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. Go to Full Review Sarah Ward Screen International 11/03/2020
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve C 05/17/2024 Loan sharks should be charged for money laundering and/or terrorism, if applicable. See more Read all reviews
The Old Town Girls

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Cast & Crew

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Yu Shen

Director

Regina Wan

Qu Ting

Li Gengxi

Shui Qing

Jue Huang

Old Du

An Shi

Shui Hao

Zhou Ziyue

Ma Yueyue
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The Old Town Girls

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Movie Info

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
Yu Shen
Producer
Li Fang
Screenwriter
Yujie Qiu, Yu Shen
Production Co
Laurel Films Inc.
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 23, 2022
Runtime
1h 44m