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Ever wonder where that trinket, widget or plastic fork came from? Filmmaker David Redmon traces some mass-produced items — those gaudy Mardi Gras beads — back to their source and uncovers troubling truths about the inequities of our global economy. At a factory in a Chinese free-trade zone, Redmon introduces us to four teenage girls, all of whom work long hours for pay topping out at 10 cents an hour to make the beads. |
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Then Redmon travels New Orleans and confronts Mardi Gras celebrants: Do you know where your beads come from? With clarity and a wry sense of humor, Mardi Gras puts into human terms the huge gap between the world's rich and poor. The cast of characters is memorable, from the baby-faced Chinese workers to the drunk, giddy Mardi Gras celebrants, and especially the smug, wrong-headed factory owner who has no hesitation in fining underperforming workers.
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