I don’t think I would change a thing about Last Train Home.  Of course, I have a predilection for observational documentaries, but even given that bias, this is an illuminating and touching film.  Life and labor, rural and urban, East and (at the interstices) West, youth and aging, and ideas about freedom, what it means and how to get it – this film covers a lot of fertile ground with a narrative focused a troubled family.

Over 130 million Chinese migrant workers return to their home villages for Chinese New Year celebrations.  Last Train Home uses that annual trip as a framing device to explore the sacrifices and tensions facing one such family.  Changhua and Sugin Zhang return to her mother’s home once a year to visit the children they left there in the care of  grandparents.  High expectations lead to wrenching disappointments for people living hard lives.  Watching these stories unfold over time raises important questions about our humanity and reminds us of things most of us take for granted daily while creating an awareness of the human cost of cheap jeans.

I recommend Last Train Home without qualification.

Screenings April 17, 18, and 23 at RiverRun.  See the website (http://www.riverrunfilm.com) for details.