“Delivers a thorough cinematic vision with a precise political edge. The documentary serves an ode to worker solidarity and mobilisation. Wang’s powerful second instalment effectively uses cinéma vérité as more than just an observational storytelling tool. Instead, his presence serves as an active commentator on the systemic injustices at play.” —POV Magazine

“Pointed and purposeful, both in its scope and its techniques... Along the way, Wang captures the kind of camaraderie and interpersonal drama that makes it worth the wait.” —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety

“Wang’s work has never shied away from criticizing a modern, consumerist nation for failing to live up to the supposed socialist ideals of its revolution, but rarely has one of his films so nakedly called out the collusion between state and commerce to ensure the powerlessness of average citizens.” —Jake Cole, Slant

“A hallmark of Wang’s work is the discomfiting, shifting position in which he places the viewer. While watching HARD TIMES, I felt terribly helpless, hopeless, and sometimes angry at Wang for allowing us such intimate yet coolly distant access to misery; I also felt confided in, when subjects spoke directly to the camera about their lives…. Wang’s project reveals the monstrous production needed to sustain the ceaseless consumption promised by the ads overrunning our world.” —Devika Girish, Film Comment

“While there’s no replacement for watching Youth in its totality, if you only have time for one chapter, you should focus on Hard Times. Engaging, nuanced and far more contextual, it gives a much fuller picture of the inevitable bleak fate of these resource-poor migrants, with little to sell but their youth.” —Karen Ma, easternKicks