The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Review: An Ode to Poetry And the Country Of Romania

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo is a short Netflix documentary about a 16-year-old Chinese student Yin Yuguo studying in Romania. It explores his travel to the university of Bacau and his dream of becoming a literary worker by studying and understanding the Eastern European form of poetry.

The 28-minute documentary is directed by Ilinca Calugareanu and distributed by Netflix. Moreover, it features the real-life cast of Bacau University, the teachers, colleagues, neighbours, and the parents of Yuguo.

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo
A still from The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo trailer.

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo start with the admission letter of Yin Yuguo, born and raised in Kunming, China, where he can be seen preparing for his admission videos and crafting the essays. We are also given a brief introduction to his personal life, interests and ambitions, most of which circle around poetry and literature.

Yuguo’s parents are also university teachers that completely support his ambitions and also identify his intellect at an early age. They believed that their child had a special kind of loneliness that involved him deeply with the minute objects of day-to-day life. Including the intricate beauty of nature.

The rest of the documentary encapsulates his journey to Romania and the process of Yuguo falling in love with the country and its culture.

The documentary is successful in presenting a subtle ode to the poetry and culture of Romania. It makes us believe that literature can easily transcend boundaries without any restrictions. Furthermore, the deep-rooted passion of Yuguo for poets and their place of origin pushed me to introspect my own element of fascination.

The twenty-eight-minute exposure to the life of Yuguo is enough to propel multitudes of rhetorical thoughts inside you. For instance, “How mesmerizing it is to be wholeheartedly attached to some things”.

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The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo
A still from The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Trailer.

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There are several moments in the documentary which are hypnotic in nature. Like the ones where Yuguo recites his untitled poetry focused around crows. It also adds to the heartfelt emotion of creating something with pure and honest intentions.

The short documentary perfectly pans out Yuguo’s love for literature transitioning into the culture, heritage and the country of Romania. The scene where he describes an early morning in the city takes you deeper into his thought process of painfully loving things.

This is demonstrated in the interviews, where one of the teachers goes on to explain that he is often disappointed with the country. But after witnessing Yuguo’s version of love, he starts to see the brighter side. Maybe it takes a lens layered with goodwill and emotion to observe the true nature of things.

The documentary is brilliant in showcasing Yuguo’s joy but also excels in depicting sorrows. It does a good job of leading up to the revelation, leaving with the message of embracing the things that you love. All in all, it’s a finely made tribute to the life of Yin Yuguo, whose love for poetry and culture surpassed everything.

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Final Thoughts

The documentary is a must-watch if you are keen on exploring Yuguo’s passion. It will leave you with a patience-filled realization and push you to love things more deeply and wholeheartedly.

You can stream The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo on Netflix. Tell us your thoughts about the short documentary in the comment section below.

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Overall

SUMMARY

The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo is a short documentary about Yin Yuguo, which makes you feel a flurry of different feelings.
Manjeet Singh
Manjeet Singh
Manjeet loves to steer conversations around films and pop culture(usually to the point of no return). Finding obscure movies and consuming their Wikipedia literature is his daytime hobby. Being a hopeless romantic about cinema is what keeps him going.

1 COMMENT

  1. Difficile non rimanere impressionati ;la sua gioia di vivere che si spende così però non trova spiegazioni.
    Passione per qualcosa che lui non ha mai vissuto dalla nascita,però,così vera,quasi da farmi vergognare a me, nata ,cresciuta e scappata da lì
    Grazie per questa lezione di amore,un pensiero e una preghiera per te,bellissimo e speciale Yin Yuguo.

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The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo is a short documentary about Yin Yuguo, which makes you feel a flurry of different feelings.The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Review: An Ode to Poetry And the Country Of Romania