Ah, the oh-so desirable epicanthal fold...
A gentle reminder to all you New Yorkers out there in Interweb land. Micha X. Peled's latest doc, China Blue, begins a one-week stand at Anthology this Friday, January 27. [The rest of youse can check here to see when it's coming to that proverbial theatre near you.]
So what's it all about? Here's the skinny:
Like no other film before it, CHINA BLUE is a powerful and poignant journey into the harsh world of sweatshop workers. Shot clandestinely, this is a deep-access account of what both China and the international retailers don't want us to see: how the clothes we buy are actually made.
Following a pair of denim jeans from manufacture to sale, CHINA BLUE links the power of the U.S. consumer market to the daily lives of a Chinese factory owner and two teenaged female factory workers. Filmed both in the factory and in the workers' faraway village, this documentary provides a rare, human glimpse at China's rapid transformation into a free market society.
Sixteen-year-old Jasmine is a thread-cutter at the Lifeng Factory, one of dozens of denim manufacturers in Shaxi, South China. As she puts it, she makes the 'big and fat' jeans we wear. Like her new friends at the factory – Liping, a seamstress, and Orchid, a zipper installer – Jasmine is one of hundreds of millions of people, mostly young women, who make up the largest pool of cheap labor in the world.
Here's some of what the summary doesn't mention: Girls from the provinces lie about their age to get these jobs. Sewing in zippers is actually higher-paid skilled labor. Factories routinely withhold the first month's salary so employees don't leave. When you work an 18-hour shift to meet deadline, the midnight snack is free. Otherwise, you pay for meals, for a bed in the factory dorm, and for hot water [in a bucket, carried up stairs] to bathe in. Oh, and the Lifeng factory owner was proud to let Peled shoot there because his factory is actually a lot better to its workers than others in the area. Mmmmm... globalization....
China Blue was one of my favorite docs at Full Frame last April. If the cinetrix was given to list-making [you may have noticed, she's not], it'd be right up there with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu for '06. So I'm delighted it found distribution.
Just check it out, you fucking cynics. You're overdue for a good cry, some liberal guilt, and a bit of righteous outrage.
