American Factory (2019)
I just got around to seeing this Netflix documentary and while it has been widely praised, I am on the fence on this. To be clear, it is well made and is worth seeing. I found the individual reflections, conversations and scenes to be mostly compelling. It’s just that, overall, it felt a bit underwhelming.
It depicts life in a US factory that was abandoned by General Motors, then acquired and retro-fitted by a Chinese billionaire. On one level, the documentary presents what the change has meant for those working in the plant. But for the most part, it showcases the differences between the American workers, the Chinese workers, and the Chinese owner, especially in their expectations of each other.
The contrasts are fascinating and are presented mostly in an even-handed manner. Every view point is shown to have its merits. What also comes out clearly is that their expectations- especially those of many (maybe, most) American workers and the Chinese owner are hard to reconcile. The documentary benefits immensely from the fact that the filmmakers had access to candid conversations within and across groups, and some very heartfelt reflections by the owner.
Which brings me to my fundamental issue: the documentary doesn’t give me a sense of where that leaves everyone. Is there any hope for reconciliation? If yes, how might it be accomplished? Is there anything to take away for other owner-investors and workers considering being part of such an experiment? To be fair, answering these questions may not have been the objective of the filmmakers. In one interview they said that their hope was that film would spark conversations about “the future of work”. I believe that the film would have been much more impactful (and satisfying) if it had presented some clear opinions on these questions.
For some reason, the trailer of the documentary struck me as being somewhat glossed up. I would rather suggest checking out this 6 minute Vice report on the factory and its owner, released three years ago.