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YOUNG & RESTLESS IN CHINA
Written, & Directed by Sue Williams
Produced by Kathryn Dietz & Williams
Photography by Bestor Cram, Bill Turnley, Jeremy Leach & Scott Anger
Edited by Howard Sharp
Music by Jason Kao Hwang & Wang Xiaolei
Released by Ambrica Production
Narrated by Ming Wen

Amid the build up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, increased international debate over the riots in Tibet, and China’s funding of Sudan’s military, Young & Restless in China could not have better timing. But more than that, it feels like a necessary film. Albeit the film’s delivery is a little stiff and formulaic at times, it is, nonetheless, an engaging study.

A somewhat overly methodical documentary, it traces a linear path through four years of observation and plainly lays out the trajectory of its subjects’ lives, nine young Chinese workers who all grew up during the recent rapid changes. This period saw families who had needed vouchers for food and other necessities suddenly receiving higher wages, migrating to the larger cities, and moving into bigger homes. Among the film’s stars are a migrant factory worker whose family has arranged a marriage for her that she doesn’t wish to enter, a woman whose mother was kidnapped by human traffickers, and a struggling rapper.

The film largely allows the individuals to share their story, and this focus makes the film very evocative. News of the country’s booming economy and growing middle class is well known, but the film’s unique slant is that it shows what is happening to those who are living through these changes. Among the film’s revelations are the hurdles in place for women to move up into the increasingly abundant high paying jobs and how urban immigration across the country has split families apart. But the film is also filled with hope – the economic boom has created a higher standard of living for some, and one crusading lawyer continues fighting the government on environmental issues, which are often ignored in favor of economic growth. Despite being somewhat laborious, Young & Restless in China makes its intentions very clear and delivers its information with near perfect precision. It may not be a flashy film, but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. Dustin L. Nelson
April 11, 2008