Chain

Chain is a 2004 docufiction film written and directed by Jem Cohen. It follows two young women from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. One (Miho Nikaido) is a Japanese professional who has been sent by her corporation to inspect theme parks in the United States. The other (Mira Billotte) is a runaway who is squatting near a mall and works a series of dead-end jobs. The women never meet or communicate with each other, but by the end of the film, their viewpoints have become similar as their lives are both impacted by the homogenization of retail culture and infrastructure. It has been described as a "narrative/documentary" hybrid, with Stephen Holden of The New York Times saying it "deliberately blurs the lines between fiction, documentary and cinematic essay." Plot Tamiko, a corporate executive from Japan, is sent to the United States by her company, which is looking to enter the theme park business with a venture potentially called "Floating World". Her assignment is to compile information on American theme parks and report the findings to her bosses. Amanda, a young homeless drifter, squats in an abandoned warehouse across the street from a mall. While working a series of short-term jobs, including as a concessions worker on a sightseeing boat and as a cleaning woman at a motel, she records a video diary that she intends to send to estranged family. Amanda and Tamiko's lives and differences are contrasted. Increasingly, both women are changed by the loss of regional identity due to the similarity of retail culture worldwide. Cast