Bitter Money (2016) Film Comment Selects 2017

This observational documentary follows the lives of several migrant workers who leave home travel to the big city and then have less than wonderful lives. Its a film that is going to either thrill the select few who love to watch life unfold in real time or it is going put you to sleep.

I'm not going to lie this film was a tough slog for me. Somewhere in the first twenty minutes as we watched people sitting in a train corridor sleeping I started to drift off myself.  I then drifted in and out of the film for the remaining two and a half hours as we watched the various people hang out, work monotonous day jobs and tried to keep their lives together. Some of it was interesting some of it was not but the sheer unevenness and the the almost three hour running time took it's toll.

Clearly this wasn't my cup of tea.

My sleepiness aside I am astute enough to know that if you are someone who likes observational documentaries with long takes you are going to eat this up. If not stay away.

This film plays February 23rd. For tickets and more information go here.