despite the distinct lack of good times and belly laughs, Unknown Pleasures is a great film.
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04/11/03
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Unknown Pleasures (2003)
63
%
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:17
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.6/10
Theatrical Release:Mar 26, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: China's "birth control generation" is entering their twenties during a promising period of social transition. Coupled with China's entry into the WTO, the eruption of satellite television and... [More]
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Reviews for Unknown Pleasures
A slow-paced Chinese drama about the aimlessness and ennui of two nineteen- year- olds who live for the present moment and have no plans for the future.
09/29/02
While there are some beautifully shot, subtle moments in the film that encapsulate the desperation and degradation of the characters, the director ends up alienating his audience in an attempt to display the alienation of his characters.
03/31/03
The actors in Unknown Pleasures generate sympathy from their sullen good looks as much as any acting ability.
03/29/03
There's a telling disjunction between the dismal lives of Jia's characters and the optimism of China's officially sunny advance into the 21st century.
03/26/03
Unknown Pleasures, Jia Zhangke's haunting follow-up to Platform, tracks various stages of underdevelopment.
09/27/02
Though it's tough to accept such a thoroughly negative appraisal of a country's state of affairs, [it] certainly makes a strong case for one (though in all fairness he still finds plenty to laugh at), and in doing so holds up a mirror to the rest of us.
10/09/02
May be Jia's most concentrated evocation of contemporary China's spiritual malaise.
03/25/03
Top CriticDespite the fact that there's little dramatic arc, little dialogue and little joy in the lives of its characters, Unknown Pleasures is riveting.
04/07/03
[Music] has the ability to connect with everyone, and perhaps international audiences will connect with the Chinese youth of Unknown Pleasures for the exact same reason.
04/04/03
In its effort to evoke pity, Unknown Pleasures chiefly evokes agitation and frustration.
05/01/03
Hard to turn away from, but also damn hard to sit through ... there is a difference between inspiring a sense of alienation in one’s audience, and merely alienating them
04/04/03
Perhaps the world doesn't need another picture on disaffected youth, but Pleasures is about more than alienation.
10/24/02
Top CriticA stunning study of ennui.
03/26/03
Top CriticToo much is left unsaid.
04/11/03
Top CriticAn occasionally fascinating but ultimately undercooked portrait of the young and disaffected.
03/27/03
Captures the complex weave of life in contemporary China...
02/02/03
Proves to be just as vapid and directionless as its no-account subjects.
11/10/02
Top CriticJia creates some poignant images to convey key transitions in the characters' lives.
01/11/08
Top Critic[Director Zhang-ke] Jia's virtuoso long takes, choreographed mise en scene, and feeling for character and behavior place him in a class by himself.
01/11/08
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