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Blue Bayou

2021

Justin Chon

Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O'Brien, Sydney Kowalske ...

6.3

608

Drama As a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.

	Author	Review
United States	Iana Murray The Playlist	"The Louisiana heat radiates through the screen (...) Then it’s just a shame that the film loses itself in a disappointing final act"	NEU
United States	David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"There’s enormous heart behind Chon’s drama, and wrenching performances full of feeling (...) But those strengths don’t obscure the problems of an overdetermined screenplay"	NEU
United States	Todd McCarthy Deadline	"Artless, unconversant with nuance or subtlety and fond of hitting every nail right on the head, 'Blue Bayou' nonetheless gets to the nitty-gritty and some of the most vexing emotional issues surrounding immigration"	NEU
United Kingdom	Lee Marshall Screendaily	"Both a passionate exposé of a serious injustice and a big emotional ride that is also prepared to take some interesting risks (...) a moving tale with great empathy."	POS
United States	Guy Lodge Variety	"Chon’s overwrought filmmaking stands in stark contrast to the bone-weary believability and restraint of his own lead performance"	NEU
United States	Jason Gorber rogerebert.com	"There’s so much thrown at the wall just to see what sticks that none of it really holds any impact (...) Even the filmmaking itself shows many flaws"	NEG
Canada	Dustin Chang Screen Anarchy	"Chon succeeds in shedding light on the inhumane practices of the American immigration system, giving audiences plenty to mull over as to what, exactly, it means to be an American"	POS
United States	David Ehrlich IndieWire	"[It] nearly sinks under the weight of its melodrama (...) An overwrought but deeply heartfelt story"	NEU
United States	Steve Pond The Wrap	"[It] slips from lyrical to overwrought (...) [It] tackles important U.S. policy issues but gets undercut by the melodrama (...) They'll be breaking out the tissues in theaters"	NEU
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Painful drama (...) Subtlety and nuance are not exactly this film’s strong points and creating a minor character who happens to be an immigration officer, and a nice guy, is a very contrived balancing effect"	POS
United Kingdom	Pamela Hutchinson Empire	"Multi-hyphenate Justin Chon has crafted an impressive melodrama, rich in Louisiana atmosphere and with a timely message, but 'Blue Bayou' is marred by its reliance on symbolism and sentiment (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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