MARCH 3, 2011
The lonely crowd
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 DVD |
Every Chinese New Year, 130 million workers turn off the factory lights and ride, trek, or pedal back to their home villages: Their annual exodus is the largest internal migration in the world—and the subject of a visually stunning, deeply intelligent documentary called Last Train Home (newly out on DVD and streaming on Netflix).
First-time director Lixin Fan focuses on one couple: the Zhangs, who left their hometown (and their children) 16 years ago, after finding the only available jobs (in a textile factory) 1,000-plus miles away. Their story is wrenching—and unique. (As Tolstoy said, “all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.”) And yet that story stands in for millions more. It’s a paradox that Fan, who is also the film’s cinematographer, resolves visually (the great Russian directors would have envied his balancing of individuals and crowds). In emotional terms, it doesn’t resolve at all.
Editor’s note: Many of you clicked on Monday’s link, only to get an error message. But the pick—an excellent, beautifully designed, interactive Web object called Mitoza—is up and running again, and it’s well worth checking out: Click here to visit.
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Last Train Home
the film
the trailer
