WORKINGMAN’S DEATH

Description

Michael Glawogger’s epic-scale documentaries pull together grand, global themes in unexpected ways. In his newest film, “Workingman’s Death,” he deconstructs contemporary conceptions of work – by showcasing six of the most grueling and dangerous professions he could find. Viewers should note that some situations depicted are graphic and may be disturbing. At once a rejoinder to those predicting the death of manual labour and a ground-level lesson on globalization, the film makes the efforts of these impoverished men something heroic. They represent a forgotten kind of courage. All of this work is captured in Glawogger’s characteristic stunning compositions, with an eye for the harsh grandeur of elemental and industrial environments. The effect is awe-inspiring.