Life and Death in the Warehouse (2022) Movie Review

Life and Death in the Warehouse, a punchy and fact-based drama by new screenwriter Helen Black, may not turn every viewer into a full-fledged communist, but it is sure to make people think twice about their shopping habits. The drama sheds light on the behind-the-scenes work that provides us with a life of unparalleled convenience and exposes the exploited and abused workers who make it possible.

The story is set in a massive warehouse, similar to those run by online retail giant Amazon. Although Amazon has been accused of many of the practices depicted in the drama, it has denied all such claims, and the company's name is not mentioned. The opening captions explain that the recent boom in online shopping has created an invisible army of around 1 million warehouse workers, hundreds of whose experiences have been used as the basis for the drama. The captions also state that some of these companies are well-known, while others are not.

The drama begins with scenes of a woman miscarrying in a toilet cubicle before moving back in time to where this emblematic catastrophe began. Shift workers queue for entry outside a warehouse in a small Welsh town, where two old school friends catch sight of each other. Alys, played by Poppy Lee Friar, is a picker whose job is to find and take the orders off the miles upon miles of shelves within as their locations come in on her handset and headphones. She has worked her way up to one of the rare permanent positions, held out as a spur to ambition for all, despite the vast odds against securing one, and wears one of the coveted green vests to prove it. Megan, played by Aimee-Ffion Edwards, is waiting to start her first day as a management trainee under the tutelage of senior manager Danny, played by Craig Parkinson, and his acolytes Donna and Sean.

The drama depicts the passing of Megan's probationary period in one corner of the screen and the increasingly pregnant Alys's all-important pick rate dwindling in another. Megan's instinct to help Alys is eroded at every turn by company policy and Danny's refusal to accommodate Alys's physical needs, despite medical confirmation of the problems with her pregnancy. When Alys collapses during a shift, Megan calls an ambulance, but this only makes their statistics look even worse and leads to Danny hauling Megan over the coals. The unfolding disaster is a study in what happens when humanity is subordinated to corporate greed and the futility of individual desire or action in a system immaculately designed to stymie and suppress it. The drama exposes the true cost of cheap goods and charming convenience.

Although the drama condenses many problems into a single programme and concentrates the mind on them alone, it does showcase as many injustices as powerfully as possible. By individualising systemic wrongs and making concrete intangible violations, the drama exposes the spirit, social contract, and the endlessly unedifying effects of untrammelled capitalism. Black's drama does this perfectly, aided by fine performances, including Aled ap Steffan as Alys's friend, co-worker and brave union rep Devon. It covers a lot of sociopolitical ground without forgetting to make us care about the people who are suffering as its foot soldiers.

The drama ends on a half-note of hope, but one that suggests that the answer lies in individual behaviour and change. While individual behaviour and change may be part of any solution, it is only collective action that will pressurise governments to bring about true change and alter society's view on how much it will tolerate in the name of capitalism. The drama's message is that we must be conscious of the impact of our choices and take action to hold companies accountable for their exploitation of workers.

In conclusion, "Life and Death in the Warehouse" is a powerful and thought-provoking drama that sheds light on the exploitation and mistreatment of warehouse workers in the online retail industry. It showcases the true cost of cheap goods and convenience and highlights the devastating effects of untrammelled capitalism.

The drama succeeds in humanizing the invisible army of warehouse workers, and the fine performances from the cast, particularly Poppy Lee Friar and Aimee-Ffion Edwards, bring to life the characters and their struggles. The drama is a reminder that these workers are people with families, dreams, and aspirations who are subjected to inhumane working conditions.

While the drama does not delve into the wider context of the issue or present opposing views, it does an excellent job of highlighting the systemic wrongs and making tangible the intangible violations of the spirit and social contract. It is an effective piece of agitprop that serves as a call to action, reminding viewers of the power of collective action to bring about change.

In the end, the drama leaves us with a half-note of hope, suggesting that individual behavior and change can be part of the solution. However, it also reminds us that true change can only come through collective action that pressures governments to alter society's view on how much we will tolerate in the name of capitalism.