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Living the Land

Play trailer 1:18 Poster for Living the Land Apr 2026 2h 12m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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In 1991, as China undergoes sweeping socio-economic changes that drive many to leave their rural villages in pursuit of work in the cities, 10-year-old Chuang, the third child of his family, must remain in the village due to family plans. Against the backdrop of modernization, as the advent of technology reshapes their traditional way of life, cycles of births, deaths, marriages, and funerals reveal the enduring weight of tradition and the pressures of balancing familial responsibilities with a rapidly changing world.
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Living the Land

Critics Reviews

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Beatrice Loayza New York Times 16h
A patient, multigenerational drama that immerses viewers in the traditions and labor practices of a farming community in China’s Henan Province. Go to Full Review Jake Cole Slant Magazine Apr 30
3/4
Huo Meng’s second feature is attentive to the everyday rhythms of rural communities. Go to Full Review Ritesh Mehta IndieWire 02/18/2025
B+
If “Living the Land” is still extremely handsome and involving, this is because Huo isn’t simply observing, he is telling a story too, just in larger temporal units. Go to Full Review Mark Dujsik Mark Reviews Movies 1d
3.5/4
Living the Land does possess ... [a] sense of humanity, and it comes through strongly in this complex and layered portrayal of simple lives complicated by customs and a changing world. Go to Full Review Michael Nordine Movie Brief 1d
3/4
Huo’s manner of observation is sometimes dispassionate, like a documentarian training his camera on the everyday and letting it slowly reveal the extraordinary. Go to Full Review Jana Monji Age of the Geek Dec 5
5/5
Set in the 1990s in rural China, this film sensitively portrays the stubborn resistance to change and the effects of the one-child policy on one extended family of wheat farmers. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Living the Land

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Cast & Crew

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Huo Meng

Director

Wang Shang

Chuang

Zhang Yanrong

Great Grannie

Zhang Chuwen

Xiuying

Huo Meng

Screenwriter

Zhang Fan

Producer
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Living the Land

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Living the Land

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1991, as China undergoes sweeping socio-economic changes that drive many to leave their rural villages in pursuit of work in the cities, 10-year-old Chuang, the third child of his family, must remain in the village due to family plans. Against the backdrop of modernization, as the advent of technology reshapes their traditional way of life, cycles of births, deaths, marriages, and funerals reveal the enduring weight of tradition and the pressures of balancing familial responsibilities with a rapidly changing world.
Director
Huo Meng
Producer
Zhang Fan
Screenwriter
Huo Meng
Distributor
Film Movement
Production Co
Shanghai Film Group, Phoenix Legend Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 3, 2026
Runtime
2h 12m
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