JL Maquilapolis

The moments of pantomime, where the factory workers mimed the hand movements which they used daily to construct components, and the exhibition of factory worker’s garments interluded sections of traditional documentary resonated with me. They added a symbolic element to the documentary which may inspire questions such as “how do the factory administrators and government regulators see the factory workers, only as uniforms or hands in a line, only as elements of a machine and not as workers with rights, as humans with rights?” The documentary approached the issues identified by the groups they worked with by providing an array of interviews with people impacted by the pollution and abuse of workers the factories caused. From locals who lived in the community around the factories, who had been affected by the dangerous living conditions, to former factory workers turned organizers, to filming the organizers collaboration with lawyers to sue the factories, the documentary showcases a constellation of voices which allows for multiple stories to be told about the effect of the factories. The environmental, societal, legal and everyday implications of the factory phenomenon, from the changes in legislation which created the high concentration of factories along the board, to the lack of legal protection for workers, to first hand accounts of how the living conditions on the surrounding area impact families and the specter of pollution are all showcased through the documentary’s broad lenses. This allows the documentary to show the multifaceted nature of the problem the factories pose. The artistic interludes are another strategy for expanding the reach of the piece. While some might argue that they detract from the focus of the piece, the artistic interludes allow for a captivating symbolic message.