Workingman's Death

Workingman's Death, released in 2005, is a gripping documentary film by Michael Glawogger, an Austrian filmmaker, who is known for his compelling narrative style and ability to explore raw human conditions. This film presents a vivid example, documenting the extreme labour conditions that exist around the globe even in the 21st century. It's not just a movie but an exploration into the persevering human spirit and the capacity to endure in the face of adversity.

The film is structured into five segments, each covering a different part of the world and a different occupation. Glawogger takes the audience on a visual journey across these locations, each presenting its unique backdrop and set of challenges, thereby portraying a broad spectrum of labour-intensive jobs that teeter on the edge of danger and depict the harsh realities of survival.

In Ukraine, we see coal miners toiling away in dangerous, homemade pits, often utilizing rudimentary tools and their bare hands to extract the coal, which they can sell to make a living. Glawogger presents an unvarnished perspective here, exploring the camaraderie, brotherhood, and sense of community that exists among these miners and contributes to their ability to continue working in such harsh conditions.

From the grimy, hazardous coal pits of Ukraine, the film advances to Indonesia, where we see sulfur miners working tirelessly in an active volcano. Their work is not just physically demanding but also hazardous, due to the toxic fumes and extreme heat of the surroundings.

Transitioning from the literal "fires of hell" in Indonesia, the film then transports us to Pakistan, where we are introduced to shipbreakers who spend day and night meticulously dismantling old, unused ships. Despite the difficult and risk-laden working conditions, the workers take pride in the ingenuity and the momentous feats of engineering involved.

Then, we reach Nigeria, where workers are involved in animal slaughter and processing under primitive yet effective conditions. It is an explicit depiction of a localized food chain where every part of the animal gets utilized by butchers, traders, and consumers.

In the final segment, we arrive in China. Unlike the preceding segments revolving around traditional manual labour, China introduces us to the modern industrial world. Here, steelworkers at a smelting factory go about their jobs, showing the shift from manual to mechanized work.

Throughout these five segments, Glawogger showcases labour in its most brutal and intensive forms, but he also highlights the dignity, resilience, strength, and spirit of the workers. Workingman's Death offers no commentary or judgement - it simply presents the viewer with strikingly filmed scenes of labour, leaving it open for interpretation.

The visual aesthetics of Workingman's Death is noteworthy, with the cinematography often toeing the line between stark reality and ethereal, unreal quality. The blistering heat of Indonesia's volcano, the eerie darkness of Ukraine's coal pits, the massive skeleton of ships under the blazing sun in Pakistan, Nigeria's chaotic market scene with blood-slicked floors and China's glowing, fire-filled factories - all these scenes are intensely captured with a keen sense of detail and visual prowess.

Contrasting these intense, grim situations are moments of surprising beauty and humanity. A quiet camaraderie among the miners, the roar of laughter among the butchers, a moment of rest in the shadow of a monolithic ship, the sulfur miners' eerie trek under the stars – these instances soften the harsh reality with glimmers of human spirit and resilience.

The evocative world music score underlines the visual narration. The soundtrack, comprising a mixture of ambient, industrial sounds, regional songs, and harmonious scoring, enhances the mood and tone of each segment, further immersing the audience in the labourers' world.

Workingman's Death is not just about the gritty reality of hard labour; it is also about the individuals behind these tasks. It's about their dreams, their motivations, their resilience, and their strength to thrive amidst grueling conditions. It's a poignant documentation of a facet of human life that is rarely seen, which makes it an essential watch for all those interested in world cinema, human stories and social documentaries. Workingman's Death is a tribute to the extraordinary spirit of the ordinary working man and woman. An odyssey of human strength and resolve, it is a cinematic experience that is as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning.