A Song Sung Blue HD Movie

6.1 Score

2023

4K Ultra HD

1 hr 32 min

CC

Drama

A Song Sung Blue is a film about a 15-year-old girl, Xian's life. Xian's story starts with her father, a former plumber, taking a job at a casino in Buffalo while her mother, also a doctor, goes to live with her father and take a job in Africa. So here is Xian, fascinated by a young woman, her father's stepdaughter, that he refers to as swaggering, liberated, and a little bit melancholic.

As a movie, it grips you enough with the struggle of life and questions of adolescence and self-discovery, and the complexities of human relationships. With her background in short films and debut feature film, A Song Sung Blue stands out from other 2023 releases, with director Zihan Geng bringing a new take to the storytelling.

A Song Sung Blue Movie Explained

A Song Sung Blue describes itself as a subtle narrative on teenage infatuation, loneliness, and the search for identification. One of the biggest plot points in Xian’s story is her fascination with her father’s stepdaughter, Mingmei, and her personality and character development between Mingmei and the audience is portrayed with a level of depth that allows them to explore the facets of human relationships.

Rather than giving answers, the film offers some questions - some hope is ventured in finding answers, but on the way, the film leads all the way so that it becomes both tantalizing and vexing for audiences. A seeing room that just speaks of Xian as moody, as if it were subdued with the dominant blue color of the film, is a beautiful side of the film’s aesthetics. Mingmei is often thought to be associated with the color red, highlighting just how much she affects Xian’s life as a visual contrast.

A Song Sung Blue Movie Reviews

A Song Sung Blue has received mixed reviews, with praise for the film’s beautiful cinematography and its actors’ chemistry, as well as the director’s eye for layered composition. The realistic and deep performance of Zhou Meijun as Xian and Huang Ziqi as Mingmei have been specially praised.

But certain critics wish the film had been just a little less subtle, if only a little more obvious, as to its twists and questions. Encoded into the debate over its exploration of complicated themes without definitive answers is the strength (and at times, the weakness) of the film. All was not lost, however, and the award recognizes Zihan Geng’s potential and that of A Song Sung Blue, the first in a line of films to come from the director.

A Song Sung Blue Movie on Netflix

A Song Sung Blue was not widely available on platforms like Netflix when I last updated it. It seems that the film’s distribution is focused less around the big feature film stuff and more on film festivals and independent cinemas.

As the nature of streaming services changes along with their inclusion of more and more films, however, it’s certainly not impossible that A Song Sung Blue may become available on Netflix or even on other streaming services in the future. At least for now, those hoping to catch the film on the big screen will have to wait and see whether it turns up in a specialty theater or await a possible home release.

Is It Good?

Ultimately, it is down to the viewer what they consider a ‘good’ A Song Sung Blue, and what their expectations are for a film. If you enjoy the kind of storytelling that doesn’t beat you over the head with tropes; beautiful cinematography when it works; and exploration of messy buckets of human emotions, then A Song Sung Blue might be a very fulfilling watch for you.

It is a strong point of the film being able to resort within you thinking and reflection. But for those who look for more traditional kinds of stories with clear conclusions, the film's approach will be very frustrating. First-time director Zihan Geng’s debut feature film is one to be supported and admired on its own merits.

All in all, A Song Sung Blue is a movie that is only suited for a particular type of person who wants a deep, intriguing, and pretty image to watch. This ain’t for everyone’s taste, but nonetheless, it’s an excellent addition to independent film in 2023.

• Director

  : Zihan Geng

• Casting

  : Kay Huang, Jing Liang, Long Liang

• Production

  : Jing Liang, Jane Zheng