Although there are limitations in the type of expression that can be made in ‘Youth (Homecoming), a film by Wang Bing, he has done a great job to make it seamless. Wang Bing emphasizes that although he shot the final draft of the film, it was an amalgamation of years of footage that he collected over the years. The film directed by him was shot from 2015 to 2019, capturing fragments of the life of migrant workers in a weaving township called Zhili. ‘Youth (Homecoming)’, much like its name, also portrays scenes of weddings and Lunar New Year celebrations that depict younger people coming back to their provinces.
It appears especially difficult for Wang and Auvray to perform their duty of documenting Zhili’s laborers in a respectful and meaningful way given how much Youth (Homecoming) rakes at the edges of what the movie’s anxious but eager interviewees are willing to share on film. Zhili’s model is already emotionally suffocating as it incorporates workshops that are physically cramped and have restrictive working hours but Wang and Auvray’s task became even more strenuous due to the time they shot this in. There are still opportunities available within Zhili, however, the pay there is considerably lower. most of Zhili’s workers have limited options and given their low earnings, high quotas, and shamefully withholding managers (multiple employees complain that their bosses owe them several months in unpaid wages) they are forced to make fast decisions.
“Youth (Homecoming)” does not give the impression of being an utterly fresh title and instead feels like an extension to what is the Homecoming trilogy directed by Wang and Auvray. This is because Auvray and Wang do in fact claim that “Youth (Hard Times)” is the last installment of the trilogy that is being referred to, with that being said, “Youth (Homecoming)” visit quite feels like an ending setting to the storyline. The core theme of all three movies remains the same, moving forward Wang and Auvray don’t take away the underlying issues of family and marriage while moving forward in the series. And last but not least, in my opinion at least, in the series “Auvray, Wang-and Yin” “Youth (Homecoming)” surely stands out the most as it is more centered around a passionate and romantic relationship.
In the ‘Youth’ trilogy, “‘Youth (Homecoming)’ is one which Dialogues suggests more than attempts to explain”, a claim that can be substantiated with evidence in respect to the ‘Homecoming’ edition. A character’s take on phone calls in a real-time setting is disjointed, these include a young worker who is asking to get paid by his manager on a phone call but the said manager who is meant to pay him divorces the conversation surprising the audience. Similar to this, other conversations interject who the manager has previously addressed, and casual bickering amongst partnered screen couples is self-explanatory.
One young man in his early twenties calls out his colleague for not being able to complete the required number of garments. Moreover, there are couples debating about quantity control, the boss inquires about how oversized the girdles are meant to be, to which one retorts that surely they will be tight, and another rounds it by loosely fitting it around their waist. In all honesty, these conversations are not deeply intellectual. However, they do provide deep insight into life in Zhili, which is more often than not immensely gratifying.
Most of the participants Wang and Auvray are in their twenties and not about to win sports teacher awards but some have seen it all and have survived Zhili’s workshops. But then again, as viewers of “Youth (Spring)” remember, there is still a lot of romance and flirting in there. You can sometimes hear some radio in the background when sewing machines are running. The lyrical content of these mando-pop songs does not make sense as such but the songs reflect a melodramatic and ridiculous love for the unattainable future. You watch “Youth (Homecoming)” when young kids are in a relaxed mood parents both old and new are busy with their children and young lads are walking around shops with their girls. Stealing glances and arguing in a very funny and informal way which goes like this: ‘A man must marry a woman with an education, they said. That’s you, right? Most of these conversations are not intended to give the audience the resolution of the story.
If you’ve already watched the first two parts of “Youth (Homecoming)” and “Youth (Spring)” (which I recommend you do), then it’s easy to understand the usefulness of the last segment. No need to say, the movie doesn’t proceed to a conclusion in the orthodox manner, but so what? There is enough in “Youth (Homecoming)” for the audience to fathom the rhythm of time for the Zhili workers without the slightest idea of what was edited out.
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