Commodity City's primary photo
  • Commodity City (2017)
  • Short | 11 min | Documentary, Short
Commodity City (2017)
Short | 11 min | Documentary, Short
Yiwu International Trade City is the world's largest market, selling cheap goods wholesale in a city south of Shanghai. The fake flowers, toys, pens and alarm clocks traded in Yiwu eventually end up in dollar stores across the planet, but ...See moreYiwu International Trade City is the world's largest market, selling cheap goods wholesale in a city south of Shanghai. The fake flowers, toys, pens and alarm clocks traded in Yiwu eventually end up in dollar stores across the planet, but I focus on the people who sell these goods that we take for granted. As a character study of the market itself, the film peers into the lives of those who run this global trade. The sellers, full of life and individuality, live against the uniformly oppressive backdrop of their livelihood. A somber man painstakingly counts tiny metal parts on his desk in a pen shop. A business lady sweet talks one of her customers, peppering him with insults and compliments, but in between the buying and selling, vendors all find different ways to pass the time in this gigantic mall. A mother yells at a group of young boys, berating them for losing a toy. A man in a suit hums along to a haunting song waiting for a customer as the clocks he is selling tick away. Two young siblings play a video game while lazily eating KFC from the bucket, licking their fingers. While these stories seem small and insignificant, in the context of the film, the dialogue and actions take on new weight and meaning, elevating the quotidian to a realm of discovery. See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Jessica Kingdon
Editor
Daniel Garcia
See all filmmakers & crew (4)
Trending & News

Become a member to see MOVIEmeter and news information about Commodity City.
Status
Edit Released
Updated Apr 25, 2017
Release date
Mar 3, 2017 (United States)
Awards
1 win & 3 nominations

Contacts

+ Add

Become a member to see contact information for Commodity City.

Cast

 + Add Cast
0 cast members

Contribute to this section by adding a cast member

Add cast
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.
There was an issue loading this tab.

MOVIEmeter

Members only

Become a member to access additional data

Ratings Breakdown

1 external review & 1 more link