‘Youth (Hard Times)’ and ‘Youth (Homecoming)’: Chinese Migrants Up Close

NR | 3h 46m & 2h 32m| Documentary | 2024

You cannot deny the tremendous work ethic of the young Chinese workers from the provinces, who come to labor in the 18,000 small textile factories in Zhili (roughly 100 miles from Shanghai). They have no sense of entitlement or expectation of a hybrid workplace. Granted, their attention to detail and quality control often appear questionable, but it is hard to blame them. They are only responding to the incentives of their piecemeal remuneration.

Violence even flares up, as when a group of workers looks on in shocked disbelief and horror as a debt collector and his family brutally beat their boss, with seeming impunity from the tardy police. Likewise, the law offers no help to another factory when their boss absconds with company funds, leaving them no hope of getting paid, or even maintaining the utilities in the company dorm where they live.

The initial film, "Youth (Spring)," hinted at the exploitation endured by provincial laborers. These are illegal migrants within their own nation, due to China's strict residency regulations for employment. "Youth (Hard Times)" takes a hard, penetrating look at the dark side of the Chinese migrant worker experience.

The most ironic sequences of "Homecoming" feature workers who were grossly underpaid, just like their counterparts in "Hard Times," returning to Zhili to begin the cycle all over. Despite the undeniable exploitation, the Zhili plants still represent their best option. Perhaps more importantly, that is where many of their friends, siblings, and even spouses work.

Indeed, Wang captures a significant truth: They might be trapped in an unfair game, but it is a social experience. As far as the authorities are concerned, the migrant workers are on their own, but they endure their travails together.

Nevertheless, Wang's trilogy, especially "Hard Times," graphically illustrates the extreme vulnerability of provincial migrant workers in China. While most of their output remains in China, some are also exported to the United States. Frankly, after watching how quickly these garments were stitched together, viewers might want to avoid the "Made in China" label altogether.

After consuming Wang's entire trilogy, the audience will feel like they walked a marathon in the migrant workers' shoes. Any reasonably intuitive viewer should be able to start with the second film, without having first seen "Spring." Indeed, if you only watch one of the trio of films, it should be "Hard Times," which is by far the most dramatic and revealing.

"Youth (Hard Times)" clearly represents the apex of the trilogy. It's is highly recommended for anyone who cares about international human rights and labor conditions. "Youth (Homecoming)" and "Youth (Spring)" are also recommended, mostly for the additional context and insight they provide.

For those ready and willing to spend nine and a half hours with Zhili's underpaid laborers, the trilogy, "Youth," is available for rent on Prime Video.

"Youth (Hard Times)" opens in New York on Nov. 1, and "Youth (Homecoming)" opens on Nov. 8.