Last Train Home (2009)

Last Train Home is a documentary which centers on what the filmmakers call the largest migration of people on the globe.  According to them, in China, during the New Year, 130 million people migrate from the factories where they are working back to their homes, which are often farms in the country.  The film follows a husband and wife who work in the same sweat shop, and the children who are left behind for a year and are being raised by their grandmother.  Needless to say, parenting once a year is difficult.  This is a very powerful film, and should be seen by anyone who wants to try to understand China a bit more.  I was speaking with one of my students from China recently, who verified that this is the way it is with many Chinese families.  He also told me that farming is diminishing rapidly, meaning that the rice farmers are pushed even more to their limits to supply for the country.  A heartbreaking and intriguing look at another culture, one that has been described as our main competitor for world dominance.

Country:  China
Year:  2009
Director:  Lixin Fan
Time:  85 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer 100%, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_train_home-2009/
IMDB:  Rating 7.6,  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512201/

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Here is the trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KjO50bxN54