American Factory (2019)
89%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
19 wins & 50 nominations total
American Factory takes a thoughtful — and troubling — look at the dynamic between workers and employers in the 21st-century globalized economy
American Factory is a documentary that will leave you feeling like you just witnessed a car crash in slow motion, but in a good way. It’s a fascinating look at the complexities of globalization, culture clashes, and the American workforce. The filmmakers manage to capture both sides of the story, from the factory floor to the CEO’s office, without taking a political stance. It’s a must-see for anyone interested in the future of the auto industry and international relations. Plus, it’s a great excuse to eat popcorn and feel smart at the same time.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Media Rights Capital,
Distributor
Netflix
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 11.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2019 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 21, 2019
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
American Factory, documentary, workers, employers, globalized economy, Ohio, Chinese billionaire, General Motors plant, hope, optimism, setbacks, high-tech China, working-class America, Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, directed by, Julie Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert, produced by, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, executive producer, Sherrod Brown, reviewed by, critics, Tomatometer, audience score, box office performance, budget, Netflix, MPAA rating, genre, culture clashes, consumerism, American workforce, cross-cultural, labor politics, international relations, Michael Moore, observational documentary, culture, East and West, political notion, appealing to the eye
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Steven Bognar – Director, Producer
Julia Reichert – Director, Producer
Jeff Skoll – Executive Producer
Diane Weyermann – Executive Producer
Julie Parker Benello – Producer
Director(s)
Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Steven Bognar, Julie Parker Benello, Jeff Reichert, Julia Reichert
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
19 wins & 50 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Documentary Feature Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (94) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (5)
This documentary speaks to everyone – those on the factory floor and the CEO … It shows both sides and lets you make up your own mind.
July 15, 2020
Scott Bryan
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Could not have been more timely.
February 21, 2020
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
American Factory sets out to chart what’s supposed to be a test run for the future of the auto industry and an example of positive international relations. It ends up capturing a cross-cultural car wreck in slow motion.
September 13, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
David Fear
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
Reichert and Bognar are clearly on the side of the workers, both American and Chinese, yet their film is no Michael Moore polemic. It’s an old-school observational documentary in the very best sense of the term.
August 26, 2019
John Powers
NPR
TOP CRITIC
A mesmerizing jumble of culture and labor politics.
August 23, 2019
K. Austin Collins
Vanity Fair
TOP CRITIC
The movie is eye-opening – a windshield on the new world.
August 23, 2019
David Edelstein
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
I would say it has some political notion and delivers some interesting divisions between the East and the West. Yet it adds very little to the art of making a documentary and at least trying to make it appealing to the eye. [Full review in Spanish]
June 23, 2022 | Rating: 6/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
It leaves you reeling from the complex, unresolvable cultural dynamics at play in our present and future globalization.
February 22, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
It’s a fascinating view of consumerism, the American workforce, culture clashes, and how people can connect with each other despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
December 29, 2021
Brett Michael Dykes
Uproxx
Episode 47: Doc Talk Part 3 / Hail Satan? / American Factory / Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese / Honeyland / The Image Book
October 18, 2021 | Rating: 76/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
A must-see…
December 28, 2020
Chris Barsanti
PopMatters
And, ironically, we wonder which regime is the really socialist one! [Full Review in Spanish]
September 19, 2020
Gisela Savdie
El Heraldo…
Plot
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for American Factory.
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