Have you ever checked the label on a piece of clothing in your closet and seen “Made in China”? Well, that garment may have been stitched together by one of the hardworking individuals featured in Wang Bing’s documentary Youth (Spring). This film, one of only two documentaries admitted into the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in almost 20 years, was shot over a five-year period in China’s Zhili City, the country’s capital of clothing manufacture.
Every year, thousands of young people from rural areas flock to Zhili City in search of work. They find themselves employed in privately owned garment “workshops,” where they work at a breakneck pace to sew together clothing items. Wang’s camera takes us inside these cluttered, fluorescent-lit workshops, where we see the workers’ fingers moving so quickly that it seems like the footage has been sped up.
At night, the workers retire to company-owned “dormitories” that are far from luxurious. They share bathrooms, but each occupant is provided with a plastic basin to soak their tired feet or scrub their dirty clothes. Meals are eaten on the go out of disposable containers.
Despite the harsh conditions, the young people in Youth maintain a surprising degree of vitality. They chat and joke with each other, even as the machines around them churn out clothing items at a frenzied pace. There’s even some flirtation and sexual tension between the workers, with one young woman ultimately negotiating a possible marriage with a co-worker.
But the economic pressures of the clothing trade loom large over these young people’s lives. They strategize over how to get a few extra pennies per garment from their bosses, and one pregnant worker is pressured to get an abortion so she can continue to meet her quota.
Youth doesn’t pass judgment on its subjects or the system that exploits them. Instead, it takes an observant, neutral stance, allowing us to draw our own conclusions. This isn’t a film that seeks out beautiful images or dramatic touches; it simply presents the reality of these young people’s lives.
Wang Bing is one of China’s leading documentarians, and Youth (Spring) is just one of two films he’s unveiling at Cannes this year. His work tells the history of China from the 1950s onward, with an engaged but dispassionate eye. In Youth, we see the harsh realities of Chinese capitalism, where young workers toil in conditions that seem like something out of the 19th century.
The title of the film is ironic, as these young people are spending their youth in grueling, exploitative conditions. But Youth (Spring) is an important and eye-opening film that sheds light on a little-seen corner of the global economy.
Title: Youth (Spring)
Festival: Cannes (Main Competition)
Director: Wang Bing
Screenplay: Wang Bing, Running time: 212 min.
Sales: Pyramid International
