Youth (Hard Times)
Southeast Asian Premiere
Wang Bing France, Luxembourg, Netherlands 2024 226 min NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
A vivid portrayal of the working youth in contemporary China, and a requiem for those who toil in the shadows to keep the market running.
In this second part of the Youth trilogy, Wang Bing continues to explore the lives of young migrant workers in the town of Zhili. The sounds of sewing machines echo relentlessly day and night as workers race against time to meet targets in deplorable conditions, earning meagre wages to survive.
The camera captures the harsh reality of China, which, despite its communist facade, is ruled by the forces of capitalism and consumerism. Harsh working conditions as well as tensions between the working class and the entrepreneur are highlighted alongside the impotence and corruption of the authorities. The film delivers a comprehensive cinematic vision with a sharp political focus, serving as a synecdoche for Chinese society.
1 Dec, Sun 10:00AM / 226 min
Golden Village Bugis+, Hall 6
AT THE FEST!
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RUSH QUEUE:
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Youth (Hard Times)
青春（苦）
Wang Bing
France, Luxembourg, Netherlands
2024
Mandarin
226 min
NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
Southeast Asian Premiere
Wang Bing
Wang Bing is a prominent documentary filmmaker known for West of the Tracks (2003), Fengming, a Chinese Memoir (2007) and Dead Souls (2018). His films offer a profound perspective on contemporary China amidst significant changes. The first instalment of the Youth trilogy, Youth (Spring) (2023), was screened at the 34th SGIFF.
Sonia Buchman,
Mao Hui,
Nicolas R. De La Mothe,
Vincent Wang
