In February 2004, at least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in Morecombe Bay; the bodies of two others were never found. In 2006, the gang master was jailed for fourteen years on charges of manslaughter.
For many members of the British public, the tragedy was the first time they had been aware of the scale of ‘snakehead’ operations and the working conditions for the illegal migrants.
Nick Broomfield’s latest film, ‘Ghosts’, is a brave attempt to provide a narrative for the events preceding the tragedy and provide enlightenment on a murky world. There are similarities with Michael Winterbottom’s, ‘In This World’, a film featuring the journey of two young Afghans, on an illegal journey to a better life in London.
‘Ghosts’ begins by highlighting Ai Qin, a young, single mother in rural China struggling to support her family. She meets a bright, helpful, connected man who can arrange her passage to the UK for $25,000. Unsure, she is shown a picture of a young Chinese, proudly standing outside his suburban semi, arms folded and resting on his BMW. This status display encourages her to pay the deposit, convinced in the knowledge that a life in luxury awaits and she will easily keep the loan sharks at bay.
Her six-month journey begins and she is shut into a truck. Unfortunately, its movement is largely depicted by the ‘moving red line on a map’ method of illustrating progress and it therefore never matches the journey of ‘In This World’. In that, Winterbottom used more creativity, juxtaposing the grim, cramped conditions of the migrants against the beauty of the surroundings.
The journey is bland and adds little to awareness of the scale of snakehead operations but when the migrants arrive in the UK, greeted by an unwelcome party, the viewer begins to gain an insight into the intolerable conditions for the illegal workers. They are forced to work in processing plants, live 8-10 to a room, find themselves exposed to bigotry and existing in a food chain of corruption.
Nick Broomfield, has said ‘A film is a portrait of an aspect of society’, and ‘Ghosts’ succeeds in that respect. However, unlike his other films, such as ‘Biggie and Tupac’ and ‘Kurt and Courtney’, it does not depict life through documentary. To make the film as authentic as possible, the cast is composed of unknowns from rural China and there is no scripted dialogue. The actors perform admirably but at times the conversational exchanges are clunky and heavy-handed.
For many members of the British public, the tragedy was the first time they had been aware of the scale of ‘snakehead’ operations and the working conditions for the illegal migrants.
Nick Broomfield’s latest film, ‘Ghosts’, is a brave attempt to provide a narrative for the events preceding the tragedy and provide enlightenment on a murky world. There are similarities with Michael Winterbottom’s, ‘In This World’, a film featuring the journey of two young Afghans, on an illegal journey to a better life in London.
‘Ghosts’ begins by highlighting Ai Qin, a young, single mother in rural China struggling to support her family. She meets a bright, helpful, connected man who can arrange her passage to the UK for $25,000. Unsure, she is shown a picture of a young Chinese, proudly standing outside his suburban semi, arms folded and resting on his BMW. This status display encourages her to pay the deposit, convinced in the knowledge that a life in luxury awaits and she will easily keep the loan sharks at bay.
Her six-month journey begins and she is shut into a truck. Unfortunately, its movement is largely depicted by the ‘moving red line on a map’ method of illustrating progress and it therefore never matches the journey of ‘In This World’. In that, Winterbottom used more creativity, juxtaposing the grim, cramped conditions of the migrants against the beauty of the surroundings.
The journey is bland and adds little to awareness of the scale of snakehead operations but when the migrants arrive in the UK, greeted by an unwelcome party, the viewer begins to gain an insight into the intolerable conditions for the illegal workers. They are forced to work in processing plants, live 8-10 to a room, find themselves exposed to bigotry and existing in a food chain of corruption.
Nick Broomfield, has said ‘A film is a portrait of an aspect of society’, and ‘Ghosts’ succeeds in that respect. However, unlike his other films, such as ‘Biggie and Tupac’ and ‘Kurt and Courtney’, it does not depict life through documentary. To make the film as authentic as possible, the cast is composed of unknowns from rural China and there is no scripted dialogue. The actors perform admirably but at times the conversational exchanges are clunky and heavy-handed.
Walking through a supermarket, a migrant remarks ‘It’s so expensive’, referring to produce they have been picking. It highlights the irony that western consumers demand low prices, which leads to exploitation of workers who, aware of the profit margin, then feel they are ripped off; but the scene feels inauthentic and the issues need a proper documentary.
The film’s problem is that it tries to provide a narrative for material ill suited to the role. Two films about 9/11 attempted the same task. Of ‘World Trade Center’ and ‘United 93’, it was the latter that provided the more moving cinematic experience, in part because the passengers initiated change. ‘United 93’ conveyed an electrifying emotional charge, and that is missing in both ‘World Trade Center’ and ‘Ghosts’, partly because the circumstances of each tragedy prevent a rage against the dying of the light.
‘Ghosts’ is stronger when it is conveying a sense of isolation, appropriate because of the workers’ ultimate fate, marooned on a van, calling relatives in China, unaware they could contact the emergency services. It is a worthwhile, if flat, film.
Its impact is further diminished by a politically naïve closing statement. It will not address any of the problems that caused a Chinese cockle picker to say, when interviewed two years after the Morecombe Bay disaster: ‘Even if they asked me to jump off a building , I’d still do it as long as there’s money for me.’
The film’s problem is that it tries to provide a narrative for material ill suited to the role. Two films about 9/11 attempted the same task. Of ‘World Trade Center’ and ‘United 93’, it was the latter that provided the more moving cinematic experience, in part because the passengers initiated change. ‘United 93’ conveyed an electrifying emotional charge, and that is missing in both ‘World Trade Center’ and ‘Ghosts’, partly because the circumstances of each tragedy prevent a rage against the dying of the light.
‘Ghosts’ is stronger when it is conveying a sense of isolation, appropriate because of the workers’ ultimate fate, marooned on a van, calling relatives in China, unaware they could contact the emergency services. It is a worthwhile, if flat, film.
Its impact is further diminished by a politically naïve closing statement. It will not address any of the problems that caused a Chinese cockle picker to say, when interviewed two years after the Morecombe Bay disaster: ‘Even if they asked me to jump off a building , I’d still do it as long as there’s money for me.’
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