A follow-up to 2023's 'Youth (Spring)' and this year's 'Youth (Hard Times),' the film follows several factory workers as they return to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year.
, a work much like its predecessors in that it’s simultaneously deeply fascinating and profoundly soporific. This last chapter spends less time in the Eastern industrial zone of Zhili, Zhejiang Province, China, where the many of the subjects Wang has been following since, which premiered in competition at Venice, follows several workers on their journeys home for the New Year, to places as far-flung as Yunnan, on the other side of the country, or Anhui, a province next door to Zhejiang.
Clothes quietly say a lot about the individuals we follow here, which is perhaps not surprising given they spend 15 to 18 hours every day making the stuff, albeit mostly children’s apparel for the domestic Chinese market. The earlier movies explained indirectly that these young people are often in their teens when they leave their provincial homes to make their way to Zhili so they can earn enough to support their families back home.
Even though they’re giving the bulk of their wages to their families, as breadwinners, their fancier outfits distinguish them when they’re back among the country mice in their drabber duds. One young woman slogs her way through the mud on foot for the last few kilometers to get home while clad in a fetching jacket trimmed with little puffs of lilac fur.
But it’s not as if life in Zhili is all gold-paved streets and endless fun. Admittedly, we did see these youths flirting, laughing, slacking off at work in, with civil unrest and employers shorting their contract workers. Here we see how hard it can be to get established for new arrivals in Zhili, who spend their first few days trudging from anonymous workshop to workshop looking for piecework and a place to stay.
The long, unbroken rhythm of Wang’s filmmaking somehow casts a spell, and he certainly has a good eye for characters. That’s a blessing considering how slow and considered the takes are here, watching with equally intense absorption whether the subjects are sleeping on a train or constructing seams or making food. But overall, the lack of differentiation can be wearisome.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Solving youth sports’ shortage of umpires and referees: How to win at youth sports, from WKYCOne of the most underdiscussed challenges facing youth sports is the shortage of umpires and referees available to officiate games, largely due to angry and aggressive parents, according to one local longtime official.
Read more »
Summer program aimed to combat youth violence celebrates graduatesThe program helped the kids learn things like podcasting, fishing, automotive repair, painting, sign language and more.
Read more »
Northwest Indiana youth football, cheer program rallies after devastating fire destroys storage unitA youth football and cheer program in Northwest Indiana is picking up the pieces after an overnight fire destroyed their storage unit.
Read more »
Kamala Harris’s Youth-Vote TurnaroundE. Tammy Kim writes about young voters’ reactions to Kamala Harris’s entry into the 2024 Presidential race.
Read more »
Global youth unemployment in decline and seen falling further, report findsGlobal youth unemployment in decline and seen falling further, report finds
Read more »
Redefining the computer whiz: Research shows diverse skills valued by youthNew study reveals diverse perceptions of the 'ideal' computer science student among young people.
Read more »