Art College 1994

Play trailer

Art College 1994

2024

1h 58m

Drama

Animation

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

1990s, China. A motley gang of Chinese art students fill their languid days with inchoate musings about aesthetics, philosophy and the promised 'good' life after graduation. A portrait of youth, the students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become. Amidst idle moments and flashes of artistic inspiration, Xiaojun (voiced by Dong Zijian) epitomizes the quintessential romantic, fashioning himself in the image of grunge idol Kurt Cobain. His partner-in-crime, Rabbit (Chizi), provides a stabilizing anchor with his unfiltered wit, grounding their collective aspirations. With a strikingly distinctive animation style, heightened by the resonant voiceovers of Bi Gan and Jia Zhangke, the film serves as a captivating lens through which we glimpse the inherent contradictions in a country presciently anticipating the imminent turn of the globalized millennium.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

04/26/2024

4/4

“Art College 1994” is unassumingly sweet because it’s about young people and their eternal quest for freedom and self-expression, mostly inside their own navels.

Go to Full Review

Ryan Coleman

Slant Magazine

04/22/2024

3/4

The precise contrast of stasis and flux, of the sublime and the quotidian, of simple personal dreams swallowed up by massive national ambitions, characterizes Liu Jian’s latest.

Go to Full Review

Jessica Kiang

Variety

02/26/2023

Like its characters, “Art College 1994” gives the impression of having just too much time on its hands.

Go to Full Review

Grace Han

Asian Movie Pulse

Aug 5

4/5

While a general audience may find the plot discombobulated or boring, those in on the art and film world will certainly delight in Liu Jian’s latest feature.

Go to Full Review

Codie Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 18

8.5/10

Art College 1994 paints a detailed picture of young adults exploring their freedom and focusing on their own experiences.

Go to Full Review

Hannah Brown

Jerusalem Post

09/20/2024

For most, this beautiful-looking talkfest will be too long to hold their interest. It could easily stand to be half an hour shorter. But art students will enjoy the visuals and the debates.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

LABEL 2

@RT75584273 Jun 22

影片的画面表现力非常一般，角色似有似无的表情所能传递的信息往往不及配音的语气语调；喃喃自语式的问答确实向观众传递了三十年前学院青年的一种精神面貌，但他们所面对的选择与不确定性又被片尾寥寥几行文本仓促打断——跨越时代的共振最终还是消弭于“已知”和“未知”间不可逾越的鸿沟中了。

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Jian Liu

Director

Bai Ke

Voice

Guanjin Bu

Voice

Da Peng

Voice

Zigian Dong

Voice

Chizi

Voice

The Breadwinner

95%

88%

The Breadwinner

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Breadwinner

Ethel & Ernest

97%

89%

Ethel & Ernest

Watchlist

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

98%

74%

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

Watchlist

Tehran Taboo

97%

79%

Tehran Taboo

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Tehran Taboo

Liz and the Blue Bird

83%

75%

Liz and the Blue Bird

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Liz and the Blue Bird

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

1990s, China. A motley gang of Chinese art students fill their languid days with inchoate musings about aesthetics, philosophy and the promised 'good' life after graduation. A portrait of youth, the students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become. Amidst idle moments and flashes of artistic inspiration, Xiaojun (voiced by Dong Zijian) epitomizes the quintessential romantic, fashioning himself in the image of grunge idol Kurt Cobain. His partner-in-crime, Rabbit (Chizi), provides a stabilizing anchor with his unfiltered wit, grounding their collective aspirations. With a strikingly distinctive animation style, heightened by the resonant voiceovers of Bi Gan and Jia Zhangke, the film serves as a captivating lens through which we glimpse the inherent contradictions in a country presciently anticipating the imminent turn of the globalized millennium.

Director: Jian Liu
Producer: Dehzi Han, Yang Cheng
Screenwriter: Jian Liu, Shan Lin
Distributor: Dekanalog
Production Co: NeZha Bros. Pictures, Perfect Circle Productions, Modern Artists, Hangzhou Lightriver Culture & Media, China Academy of Art, Le-Joy Animation Studio
Genre: Drama, Animation
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 58m