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DramaComedy Shanghai 2018 · Chinese Film Panorama Editor's Pick

Dying to Survive Review (2018) — 86% Celluloid Score

Directed by Wen Muye · 2018 ·

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary: Is Dying to Survive worth watching?

Dying to Survive (2018) earns a 86% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

Quick Verdict: What is the Celluloid Score for Dying to Survive?

Calculated from 4 available inputs: Celluloid editorial rating, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb. Audience sentiment is shown separately and never changes the composite. See how we calculate scores.

86%
Celluloid Score Recommended

4-input transparent breakdown

95% Editorial Rating
92% Audience snapshot · excluded
86 Metascore
★★★★☆ Letterboxd 4.1
8 IMDb /10
Runtime
1h 57m
Cast
Xu Zheng , Wang Chuanjun , Tan Zhuo , Zhang Yu
Streaming
Prime Video, Viki
Country
China
Language
Mandarin

🏆 3 award wins — Won Best Actor, Golden Rooster Awards 2019

Where to watch

  • Prime Video
  • Viki

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

Where to watch Dying to Survive by country

Country Streaming on
Japan Prime Video, U-NEXT
South Korea TVING
United States Prime Video, Viki

Subscription availability, refreshed from TMDB. Rental and purchase options may differ.

Why this score?

  • Celluloid's editorial rating is exceptional (95/100).
  • Audiences widely enjoyed it (92%).
  • Metascore signals universal acclaim (86/100).
  • Letterboxd diarists rate it highly (4.1/5).
  • IMDb users score it 8/10.

Best for

  • Viewers who want a well-regarded drama, comedy pick

Not ideal for

    Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

    Streaming availability, artwork and title metadata courtesy of TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

    Is Dying to Survive worth watching?

    Yes — Dying to Survive earns a 86% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

    Celluloid Verdict

    A rare Chinese crowd-pleaser with teeth — Xu Zheng balances slapstick and moral outrage in a healthcare satire that moved policy and swept Golden Rooster recognition.

    Celluloid editorial verdict

    Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

    What is Dying to Survive about?

    A smuggling operation for cheap leukemia medication turns a seedy shopkeeper into an unlikely folk hero — Wen Muye's dark comedy-drama sparked national drug-pricing reform debates and became one of the highest-grossing non-blockbuster films in Chinese history.

    Critic Reviews

    Dying to Survive stills

    Official production imagery supplied through TMDB, kept with the movie instead of split into a thin gallery page.

    Dying to Survive production still 1
    Dying to Survive production still 2
    Dying to Survive production still 3
    Dying to Survive production still 4
    Dying to Survive production still 5
    Dying to Survive production still 6

    Images courtesy of TMDB. TMDB does not endorse or certify Celluloid.

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