səkkiz: one thousand miles

"I had no choice. That's life."

Movie 2: Last Train Home (2009)

Starring: Suqin Chen, Changhua Zhan, and Qin Zhang
Director: Lixin Fan
Genre: Documentary, Drama

Netflix Summary: Documentarian Lixin Fan follows a couple who, like 130 million other Chinese peasants, left their rural village for work in the city, leaving their children to be raised by grandparents. The husband and wife return only once each year, on an arduous 1,000-mile journey. But their homecoming is not a warm one, as their now teenage daughter, Qin, makes her bitter resentment known and debates pursuing a factory job herself.

My Summary: A documentary about the life of a factory working couple who only see their children once a year and the effects it has on their daughter, who feels bitter resentment towards them.

Story: I thought that the story would deal more about the topic of the great migration of factory workers back to their home, but the documentary focused more about the family and how this lifestyle has affected their daughter. The movie chronicles three different journeys home, all at a major point in their lives. I thought that the story was very depressing, but wonderfully captured. Of course, since it's a documentary, I can't really talk about things that I would about other genres because this isn't a written plot with actors. Still, I thought the movie was a nice view into the life of this family, even if it wasn't a picture perfect one.

The Family: The family captured me from the start of the film and held my attention the rest of the way. The mother and father work in a factory and they want their children to have the best out of life so that they won't have to experience the things that they went through. The daughter goes to high school and feels resentment for never having her parents around and believes that they never really wanted her anyways. Both groups show a very depressing perspective on what it's like to live a life like that.

Documentary Factor: The documentary had moments where they would talk to non-family members and get their opinions on things, most notably their views on America. The documentary also showed what the train stations were like as millions of people try to get on trains to return back home. This was mind-blowing to watch because people were literally running everywhere. The documentary style was almost surreal, but I thought it was a nice way to edit the movie.

Overall Rating: 9/10
Recommended if you like: learning about different cultures, documentaries, a real life story about a dysfunctional family

SPOILER ALERT:

Super abbreviated plot summary (for those who don't want to watch the whole movie, but still want to know what happens):

• The parents (Suqin and Changhua) go on their first train ride back home.
• The daughter (Qin) talks about how she doesn't have feelings towards her parents because they didn't raise her.
• Qin ends up dropping out of high school, moving out and working in a factory.
• Her parents want her to go back to school, but she refuses.
• Her parents go on a second trip back home along with Qin.
• At home, Qin and her father get into a fight when she tells them how she feels and openly cusses in front of the family.
• She ends up working at a bar/nightclub.
• Her family accepts that they can't make her do what they feel is right for her.
• The mom stops working and returns home to take care of her son, who is now in middle school, while the dad remains working in the city.