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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Yu guang qu remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a cold breeze hitting your face, yes. Watch it if you want to see how cinema used to talk about the working class without all the glittery nonsense. If you need a movie to pick you up or provide an escape, stay away. This is not a fun ride.
It’s a 1934 film, so don't expect the pacing of a modern thriller. The story is simple—maybe too simple for some—about a fisherman's family just trying to survive. But the way it captures the light hitting the water is something else entirely. It feels honest in a way that’s rare.
There’s a specific scene where they are hauling in the nets that felt like it went on forever. You start to feel the dampness in your own bones. You aren't just watching them work; you are waiting for them to catch something, anything, just so they can eat. It’s brutal.
The family dynamic isn't filled with big, dramatic speeches. It’s all in the tired looks they give each other over a bowl of thin broth. You don't need a script to tell you they are starving. Their faces do all the heavy lifting.
Sometimes the camera just hangs back. It lets the environment do the talking. It’s almost like the director, Chusheng Cai, wanted us to feel the wind and the salt spray. You can almost smell the river.
It’s hard to compare this to something like The Soda Water Cowboy. They are worlds apart. While that one might have its own rhythm, Yu guang qu feels like a heavy anchor dragging along the sea floor. It doesn't care if you're bored or if you're sad. It just is.
I found myself wondering if they ever actually caught enough fish to be happy. Probably not. That's the point, I guess. The movie ends without a neat bow tied around the story. It just sort of stops, like a song fading out into the distance. 🌊