He Jianjun follows fishermen on the banks of the Yellow River in the Shanxi Province. Partly in documentary form, partly as fiction, River People shows traditional life as it passes the generations, calm and irreversible as the river itself, apparently unaffected by economic changes in the city. People live without medical care, social provisions, without tax. It's about the cousins and best friends Baowa and Laba (who sometimes tell the story). An old uncle, who taught everyone the craft, is afraid of the outside world because so many relatives have been so unfortunate there. He doesn't want to think about leaving and has forbidden Baowa, the only one to go to school, ever to mention it. But for the young man, a boat looks like a coffin. When Laba's parents buy a bigger boat, the brothers are faced with an inevitable choice. River People is the story of people who are happy with their lives, but slowly see the modern era creep in.
1st December 2008
17 years ago
1 hour 28 minutes
Finishes at 12:46am
Movie data last updated 4 months ago on 26th January 2026 at 5:30am (GMT). Ratings last updated 4 years ago on 12th May 2022 at 2:57am (BST). All film data including images and actor information is provided by the TMDb API, but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Film ratings provided by OMDb. IMDb, IMDb.COM, and the IMDb logo are trademarks of IMDb.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All product names, logos, trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.