Streaming premiere tonight: Jia Zhangke’s CAUGHT BY THE TIDES, an epic more than 20 years in the making

By rahmat hidayat

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Don't miss the latest from the director of STILL LIFE and A TOUCH OF SIN.

THE CRITERION CHANNEL AUGUST 5, 2025

An Epic More than 20 Years in the Making Premiering tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the Criterion Channel, the latest film from Jia Zhangke (Platform, Still Life, A Touch of Sin) is a stunning portrait of China's turbulent new century. Returning to footage shot over the course of his career, Jia assembles a free-flowing love story built around a captivating performance from Zhao Tao. Caught by the Tides has been hailed as "a masterpiece" (New York Magazine), "deeply touching" (The New York Times), and "carefully crafted to break your heart" (Rolling Stone).  NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY OR RENT Coming soon to Blu-ray and DVD ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST FILMS ACCORDING TO The New York Times Time Rolling Stone New York Magazine The Hollywood Reporter Vanity Fair The Ringer Slant The Film Stage "As emotionally effective as it is formally brilliant. A tour de force that is at once an affecting portrait of a people in flux and a soulful, generous-hearted autobiographic testament from one of our greatest living filmmakers." —Manohla Dargis, The New York Times (Critic's Pick) "A masterpiece 20 years in the making. Astonishing. Miraculous." —David Fear, Rolling Stone "A gorgeous vision of loss and renewal. It represents something new in his oeuvre, a dynamic repurposing of the old. Intensely emotional." —Justin Chang, The New Yorker "A masterpiece. Think of it as his Boyhood, but chronicling an entire nation and culture." —Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine "Extraordinary. Caught by the Tides touches us on a deeply sensorial level. We're enraptured by the humanity on the screen. We're part of them. I was literally floored by it." —Walter Salles (director of the Academy Award–winning I'm Still Here), IndieWire "Few films course with history the way it does. An epic collage that spans 21 years. Profound." —Jake Coyle, Associated Press "An epic of loss and perseverance . . . an ingenious exercise in montage . . . Zhao [Tao] is magnetic." —Adam Nayman, The New Republic "The one movie you need to watch this summer. A self-reflexive rumination on the national and personal joys, regrets, losses, and advances of a tumultuous quarter-century." —Nick Schager, The Daily Beast OFFICIAL SELECTION – CANNES – TORONTO – NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL – BFI LONDON – AFI FEST – ROTTERDAM If you have questions, comments, or feedback about the Criterion Channel, please reach out to channelhelp@criterion.com! We'd love to hear from you. For further information on Criterion and our products, please visit our website at criterion.com. To start streaming the Criterion Channel, please visit criterionchannel.com. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to be added, please click here to register at criterion.com. To unsubscribe, click here.  © 2025 The Criterion Collection :: 215 Park Ave S. New York, NY 10003

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