Sock'n Roll (2013)
A Taiwanese documentary portrait of one man's livelihood — and an entire town's identity — unraveling one sock at a time.
Sock'n Roll - Movie Information
- Original Title: 台灣黑狗兄
- Release Year: 2013
- Directed by: Ho Chao-ti
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Documentary
- Runtime: 1h 18m
- Original Language: Chinese
- Spoken Languages: Mandarin
- Release Date (Theatrical): April 19, 2013 (Taiwan)
- Production Companies: Good Day Films
- Production Countries: Taiwan
Sock'n Roll - Plot
With a large number of factories in the area, the hosiery industry forms the backbone and economic mainstay of a small rural town. One in two of the population makes their living from the production of socks. "Brother Black Dog" is one of them and has been toiling day and night. However, one day in spring, his overseas orders suddenly disappear. He gets stuck in a midlife crisis.
Sock'n Roll - Trailer
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Sock'n Roll - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Ho Chao-ti
Producers
- Selena Tsao
- Jian Xiao Rou
Sock'n Roll - FAQs
What is Sock'n Roll about?
Sock'n Roll follows "Brother Black Dog," a sock factory worker in a small Taiwanese town where the hosiery industry sustains nearly half the population. When his overseas orders abruptly dry up, he's thrown into a midlife crisis, and the film explores what that means for him and his community.
Is Sock'n Roll based on a true story?
Yes, Sock'n Roll is a documentary grounded in real life. Director Ho Chao-ti filmed an actual sock manufacturer in Taiwan's hosiery heartland, capturing genuine events as the man's livelihood unravels when foreign orders disappear — no dramatization, just an honest portrait of economic hardship.
Who directed Sock'n Roll?
Sock'n Roll was directed by Ho Chao-ti, a Taiwanese documentary filmmaker known for intimate, socially engaged portraits of everyday life. The film reflects her keen eye for the human stories embedded within larger economic and industrial landscapes in contemporary Taiwan.
What makes Sock'n Roll a unique documentary?
What sets Sock'n Roll apart is its hyper-local focus — a single Taiwanese town where socks are everything. By zooming in on one man's crisis, the film quietly tells a much bigger story about globalization, manufacturing decline, and the fragility of communities built around a single industry.
When was Sock'n Roll released?
Sock'n Roll had its release in Taiwan on April 19, 2013. The film premiered as part of the Taiwanese documentary circuit and has since been recognized as a thoughtful snapshot of the country's rural industrial communities during a period of shifting global trade patterns.
How long is Sock'n Roll?
Sock'n Roll runs for 78 minutes — a lean, focused runtime that suits its intimate documentary style perfectly. There's no padding here; every minute is dedicated to drawing you into the world of Brother Black Dog and the sock-making community around him.
What are similar documentaries to Sock'n Roll?
If Sock'n Roll resonates with you, check out A Plastic Ocean (2016) for another industry-meets-community lens, or Black Sheep (2018) and McQueen (2018) for similarly intimate character-driven docs. Wormwood (2017) and The Class of '92 (2013) also offer compelling real-life storytelling worth exploring.
How was Sock'n Roll received by critics?
Sock'n Roll earned praise within Taiwanese documentary circles for its understated, empathetic approach. Critics appreciated Ho Chao-ti's ability to transform a niche subject — sock manufacturing — into a universally relatable meditation on identity, labor, and the anxiety of economic change in a globalized world.
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