Youth (Hard Times) (Chinese: 青春:苦; pinyin: qīng chūn ku) is a 2024 documentary film directed by Wang Bing. The second entry in the director's Youth trilogy about young Chinese textile industry workers after the 2023 documentary Youth (Spring), Youth (Hard Times) completed for the Golden Leopard at the 77th Locarno Film Festival.[2]

Youth (Hard Times)
Chinese青春:苦
Directed byWang Bing
Production
companies
  • Les Films Fauves
  • House on Fire
  • CS Production
  • Gladys Glover
  • Volya Films
Release date
Running time
227 minutes
Countries

Premise

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Tensions surface between workers and factory owners in multiple textile workshops in Zhili.[1]

Release

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Youth (Hard Times) premiered on 13 August 2024 at the Locarno Film Festival.[1] The third and final installment in the trilogy, Youth (Homecoming), will debut at the 81st Venice International Film Festival later that year.[2]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[3] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]

Accolades

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Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Locarno Film Festival 17 August 2024 Golden Leopard Youth (Hard Times) Special mention [1][5]
FIPRESCI Prize Won [6]
Junior Jury Award, Environment is Quality of Life Prize Won [6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Qing chun (Ku)". Locarno Film Festivala. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Roberts, Duncan. "Luxembourg co-production makes history with Venice selection". The Luxembourg Times. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Youth". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Youth". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "Locarno77: The Pardo d'Oro goes to Akiplėša (Toxic) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, a striking vision of the teenage female body as a battleground". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lodge, Guy. "Lithuanian Teen Drama 'Toxic' Wins Big at Locarno Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
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