Individual and collective stories unfold in Zhili’s textile workshops, becoming ever more dramatic as the seasons go by. Fu YUN keeps making mistakes and is mocked by her colleagues. Xu WANXIANG can’t find his notebook, without which his boss refuses to pay him his wages. From atop a passageway, a group of workers watch their indebted boss beat up a supplier. In another workshop, the boss has taken off with all the money. The workers find themselves alone, robbed of the fruits of their labour. Hu SIWEN tells the story of the 2011 Zhili riots: police brutality, imprisonment and fear. After bitter negotiations, the workers return home to celebrate the New Year.
Director : Wang Bing
Written by : Wang Bing
Length : 3h42
Language : Chinese
Original title : Qingchun (Ku)
French title : Jeunesse (Les Tourments)
Locarno Film Festival 2024 – Official competition
Producers : Gladys Glover Films
House on Fire
CS Productions
Coproducers :
Arte France Cinéma
Les Films Fauves
Volya Films
Eastern-Lion Pictures and Culture Media Co., Ltd
Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains
French distribution : Les Acacias
International sales : Pyramide International
With the support of :
CNC & Institut Français – Aide aux Cinémas du Monde
Eurimages
Netherlands Film Fund – Hubert Bals Fund Co-production Scheme (NFF+HBF)
Fondation du Judaïsme Français
Film Fund Luxembourg
Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation
Région Île de France
CNAP – Centre National des Arts Plastiques
FIDLab