One Child Nation [Amazon Original documentary] analysis

Release year: 2019

Directors: Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang

Nanfu Wang also features as the narrator, an interviewer & one of the camera personnel for One Child Nation. An on-screen text in the film states:

''All of the Chinese crew who worked on this film were born under the one-child policy.'' 

When the feature begins, we see a text displaying, ''1979: China launches its One-Child Policy.'' The background music commences with a rather tense tone, setting the tone for a grim theme ahead. One Child Nation highlights the severe consequences of the one-child policy, one of the Chinese government's plans, the likes of which are now infamous for their stringencies. A collection of images captured by artist Peng Wang shows discarded fetuses, wrapped in yellow medical bags among the piles of street garbage. It can be harrowing - audience discretion is advised. But this imagery itself is communicating profoundly and could be a key takeaway from the viewing. In the documentary, we hear citizens who also were satisfied with the plan, but those against it seemed to be more. ''I had no choice,'', a major vox pop response that arose among the interviewees, extended on the portrayal, of unanimous helplessness. 

One Child Nation showcases an account of the nexus between state-run orphanages and human traffickers (when I first heard the term ''traffickers'' while viewing, a certain image of individuals dealing with physical exploitation started arriving. As the frames progress, one realizes that those mentioned here, are different from the ones who perform the extreme, brutal acts which are associated with traffickers in usual times). Another aspect that was found quite surprising was the notion of desiring a boy, among the majority of elders. Nanfu's brother, Zhihao Wang, five years younger than her, mentioned that he would have been removed away from his family after birth - had he been born as a daughter. From a group of senior citizens being interviewed, an elderly male adds that 'a son helps in carrying the family forward....' 'While a daughter starts living with someone else after marriage... a son stays.' The instances portraying a mindset of giving preference to males over female children, go parallel with some situations that extends China's boundaries. To my fellow countrymen reading - isn't the aforementioned example sounding similar? The unfortunate acts of female infanticides have plagued many parts of India as a serious socio-economic issue.

One Child Nation consists of several narrative aspects in one. It is a commentary about a nation's 'war on population', interwoven with the director's family experiences. It is also an anti-propaganda affair; that describes an investigation & grows further as a social tool. I viewed the documentary feature at a juncture of the period when my own country is on the threshold of becoming the most populous one. There was an added layer to an already relevant narrative; along with an understanding that perhaps there needs to be furthermore alternatives to curb a nation's population, than via the One-child policy.