20 Documentary Movies You Must See Before You Die

13. Last Train Home (2009)

Last Train Home is the sort of film that makes you feel very, very lucky.

Shot over the course of several years, this documentary - directed by Lixin Fan - details the lives of Chinese migrant workers who travel annually to their homes to celebrate the New Year's holiday. Given that there are 130 million of them, their exodus makes for a harrowing - and often horrifying - portrait of a way of life experienced by a large amount of people.

Aside from the many stunning images of mass migration that make up Last Train Home, the film's strength lies in the way that it presents the dire circumstances attaining to individuals and their families. In the case of the Zhangs, who have been forced to work away from their newborn child for as long as 16 years, there is a story of the lengths that a parent will go in order to ensure a better life for their offspring. It's impossible to watch the way these people live and work without being shocked and moved in equal measure.

There is a lot to say about the way that Last Train Home depicts the ill-effects of capitalism on a nation, but ultimately this is a very human story that everybody should experience.