Chinese Reviews Reviews

Documentary Review: We The Workers (2017) by Wen Hai

We The Workers Documentary Review Wen Hai

By no stretch of the imagination has been, and arguably still is, the world's factory; the manufacturing womb of a planet where consumption is the driving force of the global economy. Trying to ignore the omnipresent “Made in China” insignia over the past few decades has been a pointless endeavour, even as this giant began outsourcing its production of our consumer lifeblood to its neighbours; now with the Belt and Road Initiave in full swing, Chinese influence is more inescapable than ever. But it is the toil, sweat, and, more often than not, the blood of its vast labour force that has kept its relentless structure of gears and cogs from slowing; despite well-documented cases of human rights violations, this machine still feeds on the tireless Sisyphean efforts of every individual. 's gargantuan effort ‘', then, serves as the mouthpiece for those trapped in the wage-slave economy and heroically illuminates the endless fight for the betterment of generations of both domestic and migrant workers.

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Shot across six years throughout Southeastern China, ‘We The Workers' hones in on the activities of Haige Labour Service, a collective of workers whose mission, no matter how alienating, is to empower others just like them through training sessions, negotiations, collective bargaining, and instilling the notion they too have rights as employees. Theirs, like other similar grassroots bodies, is a union not affiliated with the state-run ACFTU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions) and thus are met with both fear and hostility by bosses and the authorities. The lives of two impassioned members, Peng Jiayong and Xiaoming, not only highlight the basic living conditions these activists dwell in but also the sacrifices they have made with little material and familial gain to show for their work.

We The Workers Documentary Review Wen Hai

By placing the audience right at the heart of the operations with little fanfare, we can almost breathe the very air the Haige workers breathe; this coupled with the rather grueling run time only makes it painfully clear just how real this gritty and often forgotten side of the Chinese economic miracle is. It is a world where detention is not only inevitable and commonplace, but also a rite of passage; a world where labour law is negated by employers and total submission is expected. Perhaps what is most astonishing is how very few workers are aware of their rights, even fewer who are willing to leave their comfort zone to enforce their bosses' compliance. But when stories such as that of Zhou Xiuyun – a migrant worker who was allegedly killed by police to set an example – spread, and the threat of prison and employment termination lingers over them, one can hardly blame them. These subtle horrors are so nonchalantly woven into the fabric of life in Wen's film, their impact is even more unnerving and memorable – and we have no choice but to accept it as a reality.

Furthermore, what adds to this truly immersive experience is how what we see is almost void of “action”: ‘We The Workers' concerns itself more with the procedural elements, the behind-the-scenes, the operational etiquette of labour organising as opposed to the strikes and protests which one would expect from such a film. All of this takes place off-camera, almost like some unimportant by-product of their mission (unimportant in that we know this is happening), leaving us to come up with images based on what we are told. Stories of unpaid wages, insurance write-offs, failure to provide medical exams, and unfair dismissals told from the factory workers themselves somehow makes their plight more human and poignant than any protest footage could do. We, as an audience, cannot always be at the forefront, and this is precisely what groups like Haige aim to adhere to; that they alone cannot be leading the charge, but instead provide the tools needed for organisation whilst standing by for support and unity. This, arguably, is the message to be taken from Wen's film, that for any real change to occur, our voices and bodies must unite under that one banner until we are all heard; no doubt does this resonate within the audience as they draw ever closer to the final moments.

We The Workers Documentary Review Wen Hai

As powerful and as important a statement as it is ‘We The Workers' is not without its flaws as a film. Though nowhere near Wang Bing levels of duration, its three-hour runtime is a staggering hurdle only when taking its near-glacial pacing, albeit clearly a hurdle with rewards. There are flurries of elapsing time where so much information is provided, and new players are introduced (sometimes fleetingly) that there is a huge amount to take in and retain; though it does well to keep its audiences' attention, it has a tendency to forget we are even there. None of this, however, lessens the overall impact. The occasional atmospheric bursts recall the work of Ron Fricke, especially its bookends; its encompassing cinematography spectacularly makes us, well, part of the furniture – we feel both the claustrophobia and overwhelming alienation of life in this world throughout the entire runtime.

Documentary as a form of human rights activism has never been such an apt turn of phrase. The plight of not just the workers but also the union members working to enforce what is embedded in Chinese labour law is sprawled out for all to endure. When cases of service, retail, and transport sector strikes overtook manufacturing strikes (in 2016 for example) films like this remind us our backbone only works when all the vertebrae work in concert with one another – break one and you are done for! An economy cannot function when its core components are abused and grossly mistreated, and when many factions can work to organise themselves into a single voice, only then will anything get done. Consider this a vital document upon which we can all learn from.

About the author

JC Cansdale-Cook

A series of (fortunate) events led this writer-of-sorts to Battle Royale and he's never looked back since. A lover of Japanese cinema in all its guises, JC has developed a fondness for emerging, underrepresented cinemas as well as a growing love affair with the cinema of Taiwan. He's also a sucker for cinematography.

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