Homecoming, the final chapter of Wang Bing’s Youth, follows young textile workers from Zhili workshops to their rural homes for New Year's celebrations. It’s a powerful documentary and an unprecedented record of the young labour force that fuels the global economy.
The third and final chapter of Wang Bing’s latest opus, Youth (Homecoming), continues his exploration of China’s socio-economic landscape, solidifying his reputation as one of the greatest artists of our time.
The garment industry in Zhili in the Yangtze Delta region is seasonal. Production usually halts in February and resumes in July. It’s winter now, and the workshops are nearly deserted. The few remaining workers are desperate to get paid so they can buy their tickets to travel back home and spend the Lunar New Year Festivities with their families. It’s time for us to follow them as they board trains crammed with people, or travel in buses along perilously icy mountain roads, heading upriver to their home villages in Anhui or Yunnan. With a sense of relief, we leave the maze of claustrophobic workshops and gradually discover the families — and the natural environments — that the young workers left behind. It’s a joy to see them celebrate the New Year and perform prosperity rituals amid bursts of fireworks, far from the droning hum of the sewing machines. For some, homecoming also marks the occasion to get married, as it does for Fang Lingping, whose newlywed husband, a former IT specialist, will follow her to Zhili after the ceremony.
Youth stands as a significant contribution to contemporary documentary cinema, resonating with both heart and intellect. Wang Bing’s unwavering commitment to his subjects lets him capture the essence of their lived experiences in a film that is an unprecedented record of the young labour force that fuels the global economy.
GIOVANNA FULVI
Screenings
Scotiabank 10
TIFF Lightbox 3
TIFF Lightbox 5