Last Train Home

As 130 million people set out for their holidays on the eve of Chinese New Year, it is the largest mass migration known to mankind. Among these people are Quin’s parents. The parents are migrant workers far away from home, and children are looked after by their grandparents. Quin has been raised by her grandmother, while her parents have remained distant. At the brink of puberty, the young rebel is looking for a target for her anger: frustration and alienation are bitterly expressed as mother and daughter are reunited.

Estrangement from one’s parents, feelings of isolation and inadequacy. The film reflects on the accomplishments of Western culture, which the Chinese are now striving for, both on a larger scale and through an individual’s experiences. They are encountering the same problems that we in the West are, tragically, too jaded to see.

The film received the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary in 2009.

Erkko Lyytinen │ Translation by Maria Koistinen