The image of motorbikes loaded with food rushing through crowded streets has become an indispensable part of modern urban life. The documentary "Upstream" by director Tu Tranh chose a close-up perspective to exploit a little-noticed aspect of society: the lives of shippers. Through the director's lens, we witness the hardships and difficulties they face every day, from racing against time to deliver on time to dealing with pressures from work and life. This is also a depiction of people quietly "going against the current" between the pressure of time and the harsh cycle of the digital economy.
A positive message after a sad economic year
After the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy fell into a recession, bringing negative impacts to the people. Like the rest of the world, businesses in the billion-people country faced many harsh choices, leading to the consequence of a massive staff reduction policy of many businesses. Many men and women, despite having degrees and many years of seniority, were still eliminated, waking up one morning from being the breadwinner of the family and suddenly becoming a burden for the whole family.
In recent days, movie lovers have been buzzing about the movie Upstream Life. This is a movie that reflects the current state of Chinese society.
Programmer Cao Chi Luy (played by Tu Tranh himself) has to inject insulin every day because of diabetes, and has been with the company and devoted his efforts for more than 10 years. Ironically, one day, he was judged unqualified for the job and was fired by the human resource optimization algorithm that his department developed.
From a man who took care of the whole family, Cao Chi Luy now faces humiliation, along with a huge expense that he has to pay next month. The main character tried to apply for jobs everywhere, but was rejected because he was "too old". Fate brought him to the profession of a technology driver, but it turns out that this job is not easy at all. In addition to encountering dangers on the street, he also faces disappointment from his parents and friends. Most importantly, where will the future of Cao Chi Luy and his family go?
This is also the only way for him to have money to pay off his debts, take care of his family's living expenses and pay his father's hospital bills.
The biggest fear of shippers is not only completing orders as quickly as possible during the day, but also facing bad reviews on the app, affecting their livelihood. In Upstream, Cao Chi Luy also experiences all the fears of this worker bee job.
A special detail describes Cao Chi Luy injured after a car accident, limping and suffering from a concussion from the impact, but the only thing on his mind is how to avoid being judged badly. He gets up and runs into a bar, scanning the noisy crowd, desperately looking for his customers. A young man signals, Cao Chi Luy hands over a bag filled with skewers, then raises his hands in celebration. Tears of joy mix with dirt and blood on the delivery man's cheeks.
As soon as a shipper puts on a delivery uniform, they immediately lose their original identity, even though they may have been a tycoon or an official before.
Through the characters’ dialogue, Tu Tranh does not imply or refer to shipper as a “lowly” profession, but only emphasizes the risks and uncertainties. But after all, the main message of Upstream of Life is still to overcome circumstances, using one’s own strengths to move forward.
Voices praising the "unknown street knights"
While the extras praised in Stephen Chow’s films contributed to the humorous scenes, Tu Tranh chose to write a script about the silent heroes of the technological age. Both films evoke sympathy and respect for the often forgotten people who have silently contributed to our lives. They are also the ones who easily take the disadvantage upon themselves, but are always invisible in society.
Even though their own circumstances seem better than others, the characters in the movie Upstream still do not give up the opportunity to improve their lives.
In the past, the profession of technology drivers was often underestimated, even overlooked. The image of technology motorbike taxi drivers weaving through crowded traffic was just a small part of the bustling urban picture. However, thanks to the development of video platforms and documentaries like Tu Tranh's "Upstream", the public has the opportunity to look deeply into their lives and work. These "unknown knights" have gradually been recognized and respected by society. The hidden corners of the shipper world, those who have never driven or "picked orders" will not be able to imagine.
The hidden corners of "urban knights"
Tu Tranh cleverly collected the difficulties that any shipper has experienced, then interwoven them into a challenging working day of Cao Chi Luy. The car ran out of battery in the middle of the road, got lost in dark alleys, had orders canceled by customers for no reason... all of these are situations that viewers seem to witness with their own eyes. The male lead's initial plan was to earn 15 thousand yuan, but by the end of the month, after deducting all losses, he only had 4 thousand. Although this made the script a bit contrived in the first half of the film, it also helped the audience immediately understand the unspeakable pressures of the drivers.
The disadvantaged workers in society, no matter how difficult life is, still strive to rise up and love life. They are the living truth.
Director Tu Tranh skillfully created a balance between humorous situations and emotional moments. The difficult customers are not villains but just challenges that help Cao Chi Luy train himself. Meanwhile, the warm family affection is the motivation for him to overcome all difficulties. The film has shown that, no matter what job we do, as long as we work with sincerity, we will always receive respect and love. And more importantly, happiness does not come from material things but from the love of those around us.
After watching the film, the audience will have a different perspective on the drivers' fate. Only by putting the lens behind the driver's shoulder can the work convey another slice of urban life, always present but rarely thought of. Throughout the film, the director also sends the message that if technology drivers are dedicated, customers should also have a more sincere and respectful attitude to encourage them.
