MOVIE REVIEWS: "UP THE YANGTZE" and "LAST TRAIN HOME"

Up the Yangtze

Singularly moving and cinematically breathtaking, Up the Yangtze gives a human dimension to the wrenching changes facing not only an increasingly globalized China, but the world at large.

In China, it is simply known as "The River." But the Yangtze--and all of the life that surrounds it--is undergoing a truly astonishing transformation wrought by the largest hydroelectric project in history, the Three Gorges Dam. Canadian documentary filmmaker Yung Chang returns to the gorgeous, now-disappearing landscape of his grandfather's youth to trace the surreal life of a "farewell cruise" that traverses the gargantuan waterway.
This documentary repays repeated viewings.  The parents, for example, are illiterate, landless peasants who were expelled from their village for having more than one child--more than they could support.  They live not only on the margins of a tough society, but literally on the margins of a river: they are squatters on land that is disappearing beneath their feet as the dam floods the countryside.
The ship's purser, though a minor character in this real-life drama, takes responsibility for the young crew's moral development: he talks straight to them about right and wrong, growing up, and taking responsibility.  His innate compassion is revealed when "Cindy's" parents--peasants dressed in rags--come to visit her at one of the ship's stops along the river. This scene is one of many that brings tears to even the driest eyes.  Put this in your Netflix queue..

Last Train Home

Another wonderful, heartbreaking documentary by Yung Chang, one of the world's emerging filmmakers.  The intimate story of a family that makes almost unbelievable sacrifices for the sake of their children's future.  
Every New Year 130,000,000 'migrant workers' return to their inland homes--the greatest human migration ever--to see their children for a few days.  The anxiety surrounding this odyssey is almost unimaginable, and their stoicism and fortitude is palpable.  If you want to understand, emotionally, why China is rising so quickly, Last Train Home is the only film you need to see.  Profoundly moving, illuminating, educational.  Don't miss it!  Put this in your Netflix queue