Watch Bitter Money

Bitter Money is a 2016 documentary film directed by Wang Bing, a renowned Chinese filmmaker. The film was screened at various international film festivals, including the Venice Film Festival. The documentary follows the lives of three young female workers in a garment factory located in the city of Huzhou, in the Zhejiang province of China. The film gives an insight into the lives of these women and the struggles they face as they work to earn a living in one of the world's largest garment production hubs.

The central character of the film is Ling Ling, a twenty-three-year-old woman who moved to Huzhou from her hometown in the hopes of finding a better job. Ling Ling, like the other women in the factory, works long hours in the factory for minimal pay. She dreams of earning a decent living and being able to support her family, but finds it hard to do so in the face of exploitative working conditions.

The film chronicles a typical day in the life of Ling Ling, as she wakes up early in the morning to catch a crowded bus to the factory. Once she arrives at work, she spends the rest of the day sewing clothing items, alongside other women workers. The film captures the monotony and tedium of her work as she sits at her sewing machine for hours on end, with no respite.

Director Wang Bing also delves into the personal lives of these women, showcasing the toll that their challenging work conditions take on their mental and emotional well-being. The film explores the strained relationships that Ling Ling has with her family, in particular with her older sister, who is married and lives in the countryside. Ling Ling's sister constantly pressures her to get married and start a family, but Ling Ling is focused on her job and becoming financially self-sufficient.

Bitter Money also provides a glimpse into the wider context of China's garment production industry. The film reveals the ruthless nature of the industry, with factory owners openly admitting to exploiting their workers in order to keep costs down and make higher profits. Furthermore, the film exposes how the factory owners also suffer at the hands of international fashion brands, who demand lower prices from Chinese factories in exchange for securing large orders.

The film is an unflinching portrayal of the harsh realities of the lives of these female workers. Director Wang Bing does not shy away from capturing the starkness and bleakness of their working conditions, which are characterized by poor lighting, cramped living spaces, and abusive language from management.

Overall, Bitter Money is a sobering and eye-opening documentary that provides a critical examination of the exploitative practices of China's garment industry. Through the eyes of Ling Ling and her fellow workers, the film forces the viewer to confront the social and economic inequalities that exist in twenty-first-century China.

Bitter Money is a 2018 documentary with a runtime of 2 hours and 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1 and a MetaScore of 75.