FILM REVIEW
'LONG YEARNING'
- Directed by Elliot Spencer -
As we all know, China is a strong force when it comes to producing manufactured products and some call it ’’the factory of the world’’, because here can be made at small costs almost everything you find on our store’s shelves.
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“Long Yearning” tells the story of the less paid work force and the hard work this people have to perform, even if they don’t get the appreciation they deserve. Day after day, workers from different rural factories and industries work hard, until exhaustion. We rarely take a moment to think about all the hard work that is behind, for example, our shoes, and we can’t imagine how demanding is their labor. We never get to actually see how much effort has been put in the objects we use on a daily basis and the repetitive industrialized work.
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With a very good sound design and a proper music, the images blend together like the lyrics of a poem. Also, the written excerpts from Chinese poetry are a great help in creating a more emotional view upon the film. With the distinctive and repetitive visual effects of slowing and speeding the actions of the Chinese factory workers, the creator obtained a bigger screen time for each character, in order to let the audience take a deeper look at the effort they put in each piece they make.
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This good looking creative approach has obtained a more intimate picture of the reality we don’t get to approach very often. The images are beyond what we see and understand, and that is just 1% of the rough reality behind the camera. Starting with close ups, the camera slowly makes the transition to wide frames, till we get to see the bigger picture.
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The final effect enhances the metaphor of the workers' life that slowly fades out until it is not that colorful anymore, growing to be all neutral and sad, in black and white shades.