China's latest blockbuster "Upstream" tells the story of a middle-aged programmer who is laid off, shut out of white-collar jobs because of his age and pushed into the perilous food-delivery gig economy to try to keep his family afloat, addressing a social issue of a kind not often highlighted by recent films in China. - REUTERS
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00:00China's latest blockbuster, Upstream, is casting a rare and harsh light on the country's biggest
00:07economic pain points, an uncertain job market, downward mobility, and the hardscrabble life
00:13of millions who are working gig jobs.
00:17The film hit home with moviegoers in Beijing. Some cried while watching it.
00:24In fact, this film very much reflects what's happening at the moment, including the general
00:27atmosphere and the employment situation.
00:30It resonates a lot. I think the director made the film really realistic.
00:37Directed by and starring Zhu Cheng, the film showcases the low-paid scooter drivers working
00:43for China's on-demand food platforms, led by Mei Tuan. It shows them racing to avoid
00:49late delivery penalties and keep up with robotic orders from an app piped through their mobile
00:54phones.
00:55The movie lands at a time when uncertainty in a deflationary economy and real-life pressures
01:01on delivery drivers have both been trending concerns, and stands apart from the typical
01:07genres of Chinese blockbusters over the years, usually war films, historical dramas, or romances.
01:15Some praised Upstream for addressing a social issue not often highlighted by recent films
01:20subject to censorship. Others were unimpressed by the happy ending, with the protagonist
01:25successfully making enough deliveries to cover overdue mortgage payments.
01:31In China, at least 10 million delivery drivers work for Mei Tuan and its largest rival, Alibaba-owned
01:37Elema. Drivers have complained of long hours and payment per delivery that is often less
01:42than the equivalent of $1.
01:45This 37-year-old food delivery driver in Shanghai told Reuters he would leave the industry if
01:51there were an alternative.
01:52It's not an industry for a normal person. Imagine at peak hour in the middle of the
01:57day. Many orders are made. There is no way other than to race against time. Sometimes
02:02at the last minute or two minutes before the order deadline goes over time, you are racing
02:06with your life. It is not easy.
02:10In the movie Upstream, competition between the drivers and platforms is depicted as unrelenting.
02:16It shows drivers not having time for breaks and sometimes taking dangerous shortcuts in
02:21a 14-hour workday for incentives.
02:24Ashley Dudorenok has written books on Chinese business and consumer trends.
02:29It is a rather realistic depiction of the psyche of many Chinese people today. Previously,
02:36if we remember five years ago, 10 years ago, what set China very strongly apart was this
02:43very positive mindset of the consumer, of an average business person, because there
02:49was this strong underlying belief that tomorrow is going to be better than today. The economy
02:54is going to be better. Opportunities are going to be better. Technology is going to drive
02:57us forward. I'm going to be, and my skills and my future is going to be better. Today,
03:02that belief is not there.
03:06A Meituan spokesman said the company was not involved in the movie and offered no comment
03:11on its depiction of the industry when asked by Reuters.
03:15A film subsidiary of Alibaba is listed among the 17 production companies behind Upstream.
03:21The company did not immediately comment.