Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Up the Yangtze
User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    10 out of 10
    Rate this:
    out of 10
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

  3. Characters remaining: 5000 out of 5000

view
per page
  1. JD.
    May 22, 2008
    10
    Whenever the focus switches back to Yu Shui's saga, the film quickly regains its affecting resolve. No more so than in the long, lingering shot of her peasant father who, as the water level rises, is carting off what's left of his home, bearing the load on his back, trudging step by weary step up the steep incline of the riverbank. In mid-climb, the man pauses and, in that frozen instant, belongs both to tomorrow's uncertain world and to yesterday's harsh myth – he's modern China and he's Sisyphus.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. RobertI.
    Jun 8, 2008
    9
    An affecting documentary, witnessing the rise and fall of contemporary China. By focusing on a young woman's wrenching away from her precarious family home, we get an intimate glimpse of her expanding universe, at once thrilling and somehow sooty and spoiled. Sadness and loss teeter on the brink of the rising waters, which bear prosperity, hope, and our imperfect world to China.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Gabriel
    Jul 6, 2008
    9
    Very powerful film. I'm not sure what Dyna is talking about, of course the subject outweighs the film, the subject matter is heavier than lead.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. AnnieS.
    Oct 16, 2008
    10
    Devastatingly haunting, heart-breaking, and beautiful. One of the most stunning and important films of our time.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. PeterL.
    Apr 27, 2008
    9
    An amazing, intimate - and chilling - look at the changes that are wracking China ... and how they are affecting the lives of both young and old. Far from the bright lights of Shanghai, already-precarious existences are put at risk.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. David
    May 9, 2009
    10
    The father is one of the most interesting, but tragic characters I have ever seen caught on film. His recognition of change, and his responsibilities outweigh any anger he has about relocating. Simply a stunning documentary, one that should be seen by anybody who has bought a product from China, aka everybody!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. DynaM.
    May 17, 2008
    5
    Filmmaker doesn't have a steady balance of form or style. Unevenly audition different methods of filmmaking into one piece. Subject outweighs the film.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
prev next
Page:
  • 1

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    88
    Before that marvel of human engineering - China's Three Gorges Dam - completes its legacy of human upheaval, there are vanishing sights to be seen.
    Read full review
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    100
    A gloriously cinematic documentay of epic, poetic sadness.
    Read full review
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    80
    By journey's end, Yung has found, in the Yangtze, a brilliant natural metaphor for upward mobility in modern China: Whether they hail from the lowlands or the urban centers, everyone here is scrambling to reach higher ground.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »