Machines *** ½ / *****
Directed by: Rahul Jain.
Machines is a documentary that takes us inside a textile factory in India, and basically simply observes the workers as they go about their day. The film runs only 70 minutes, and it takes a good 15 minutes before any of these workers actually speak to the camera – until then, we see some brilliant, beautiful cinematography from inside that factory, as the workers go about their day. Eventually, the unseen and unheard filmmaker will start interviewing the workers about what they do – their long days, of back-to-back 12 hour shifts, and what they need to do to simply get to the factory – many of the workers are from other places in India, and take 36 hour train rides, with no food, water or even seats – to be able to work for almost no money.
On one level, I admire Machines a great deal. The camera work in the film – all with natural light, is fluid, and beautiful – it makes great use of the space, and does the workers in long, unbroken shots as they strain themselves to do their work – or in some cases, simply to stay awake. They are machines themselves – or at least treated like them. It’s interesting to hear their own take on the work they do, and whether or not it is exploitive. It’s also interesting when, late in the film, the director follows things up the food chain – to those who are selling the finished product, or those who own the factory. The factory owner here is precisely what you would expect – he dismisses workers complaints, says that most of them don’t care about their families, no matter what they say, and that if he raised their pay to the point where his workers would comfortable, they would stop caring, and the factory would suffer. If this were scripted dialogue, it would sound too on the nose.
On another level though, I think the movie is lacking some context. You cannot help but wonder when you watch the film how it is that director Rahul Jain and his camera crew got inside the factory to begin with (it turns out that he visited a factory formerly owned by his grandfather – and he knew some of the workers), or just how widespread this practice is. When, late in the film, a group of workers confront his camera – ask him what he is directing, and what he is going to do – if anything – to help them, it’s a legitimate question. The workers believe that he will be just another person who comes down, listens to their problems, and then leaves – and there’s no evidence to suggest that is exactly what he does.
Still, there is value is simply depicting life in this one factory, and sticking closely to that perspective – illuminating it to those watching, without turning Machines into another “hyperlink doc” that preaches to the converted for 90 minutes, and then asks you to “Get Involved!” at the end. Machines is far from a perfect doc – but it’s still an important one.
