Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue

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Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
一直游到海水变蓝
Directed byJia Zhangke
Written byJia Zhangke, Wan Jiahuan
Produced byZhao Tao
CinematographyYu Lik-wai
Edited byZhang Yang
Production
company
Xstream Pictures
Distributed byM2K, Cinema Guild
Release dates
February 20th, 2020 (Germany)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (simplified Chinese: 一直游到海水变蓝, pinyin: Yī zhí yóu dào hǎi shuǐ biàn lán) is a 2020 documentary film by Jia Zhangke about three authors attending a literary festival in his hometown in Shanxi.[1]

Synopsis[edit]

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue is organized into 18 chapters and centers on three great modern Chinese writers, Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua, and Liang Hong[1] at a literary festival which Jia organized in May 2019[2] in his hometown of Fenyang in Shanxi province.[3] Through reflections on their childhoods, careers, and lives, the authors discuss the changes China has undergone[4] since their births in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.[5]

Production[edit]

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue was directed by Jia Zhangke, produced by Zhao Tao,[6] Xstream Pictures, Huaxia Film Distribution, Shanxi Film and Television Group, Huaxin Kylin Culture Media, Wisharty Media, Huayi Brothers Pictures,[7] Shi Dian Culture Communication, We Entertainment,[8] IQIYI pictures, and Alibaba entertainment,[9] written by Jia Zhangke and Wan Jiahuan,[6] and edited by Kong Jing-Lei.[3] Its cinematography was done by Yu Lik-wai[3] and its sound was done by Zhang Yang.[10] It is distributed internationally by M2K[6] and in the United States by Cinema Guild.[5]

Release[edit]

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue premiered in Germany at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2020[9] and in the United States at the New York Film Festival on September 17, 2020.[11] Its theatrical release in the United States began on May 28, 2021.[12]

Reception[edit]

Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue has received mostly positive reviews,[13] holding a score of 69 on Metacritic[13] and 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.[14] Many critics wrote that the film lacked the structure and contextualization necessary to be impactful,[2][9][4] while some praised its visuals and reflective nature,[6][4] with Ignatiy Vishnevetsky for The A.V. Club describing the film as "handsomely shot" and an "oral history."[15] The film received a positive review from A. O. Scott in the New York Times, where he wrote that the film was subtle and informative about historical events while still being accessible to those unfamiliar with the works of the featured authors, an evaluation echoed by other critics.[16][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue - The Cinema Guild". www.cinemaguild.com. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  2. ^ a b Parker, Andrew (2020-12-10). "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue | Review". The GATE. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  3. ^ a b c www.oberon.nl, Oberon Amsterdam, Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue | IDFA, retrieved 2021-02-24
  4. ^ a b c Barsanti, Chris. "Review: Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue Sees China as a Symphony of Change". Slant. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  5. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-11-10). "Cinema Guild Acquires Berlinale & New York Film Festival Docu 'Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  6. ^ a b c d "'Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue' ('Yi zhi you dao hai shui bian lan'): Film Review | Berlin 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  7. ^ "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue". mk2films.com. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  8. ^ "Yi zhi you dao hai shui bian lan | Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  9. ^ a b c Lodge, Guy (2020-02-21). "'Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  10. ^ "Swimming out Till the Sea Turns Blue", Thessaloniki International Film Festival, retrieved 2021-06-13
  11. ^ "58th New York Film Festival". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  12. ^ "Asia Society at the Movies: Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue". Asia Society. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  13. ^ a b Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, retrieved 2021-05-29
  14. ^ Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (2020), retrieved 2021-03-02
  15. ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy. "Review: Jia Zhangke's Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  16. ^ Scott, A. O. (2021-05-27). "'Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue' Review: China Through Writers' Eyes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
  17. ^ Kenny, Glenn. "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue movie review (2021) | Roger Ebert". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
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