MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for American Factory

American Factory

2019 · 110 min

A patient, humane look at hope curdling into friction, watching ordinary workers caught between two worlds with quiet sympathy.

Tagline
Cultures collide. Hope survives.
Overview
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.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Stream in the UK
  • Netflix
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • work
  • class
  • identity
  • power
  • family
Places
  • workplace
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • documentary
  • true story
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour3
Realism10
Romance0
Tension5
Darkness4
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like American Factory

Movie

Nation

2021

A quiet, attentive documentary that listens closely to working women recalling a lost factory and the dignity of their fight.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
92 min
Details In your watch list
NationHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

She

2025

A patient, observational documentary that immerses you in the repetitive rhythms and quiet resilience of factory life, asking for close attention.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
75 min
Details In your watch list
SheHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Imagens de um Sonho

2019

A raw, intimate collage of workers' own videos, quietly absorbing and tinged with melancholy as it traces hope and disillusion over a decade.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
20 min
Details In your watch list
Imagens de um SonhoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Panelist

2019

A quiet, human documentary that watches ordinary workplace adjustments turn into a subtle reckoning with independence and pride.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Details In your watch list
The PanelistHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Union Town

2026

A grounded, human documentary that follows workers organizing against powerful companies, mixing frustration and small victories with everyday warmth.

Earnest · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details In your watch list
Union TownHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Once Upon a Time Proletarian

2009

A quiet, observational documentary that drifts through ordinary working lives, asking what people dream of while the world around them stays stark and uncertain.

About work and class · documentary

Via
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
76 min
Details In your watch list
Once Upon a Time ProletarianHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Waiting for the Carnival

2019

A patient, observational look at grinding labor and the brief joy that punctuates it, quietly sad and quietly alive.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
85 min
Details In your watch list
Waiting for the CarnivalHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Operai

2008

A quiet, patient look at ordinary factory lives, more observational than dramatic, asking you to sit with routine and dignity.

About work and class · documentary

Via
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
50 min
Details In your watch list
OperaiHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Greve

1979

A sober, firsthand look at workers organizing under pressure, earnest and quietly tense, rewarding close attention.

Earnest · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
37 min
Details In your watch list
GreveHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Julia's Stepping Stones

2024

A gentle, reflective portrait that feels like listening to a wise mentor share hard-won lessons with warmth and honesty.

Same writer: Julia Reichert · Earnest · about work and class · documentary

Also
Same writer: Julia Reichert
Via
  • earnest
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
32 min
Details In your watch list
Julia's Stepping StonesHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Workers!

2025

A thoughtful, human documentary that quietly observes workers' lives and dreams, asking who they are beyond the headlines.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
109 min
Details In your watch list
Workers!Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Broken Columns

2015

A quiet, observational documentary that sits with working people and lets their daily struggles speak for themselves.

Earnest, melancholic · about work and class · documentary

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • work
  • class
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Details In your watch list
Broken ColumnsHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Netflix

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
documentary
Directed by
Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar
Starring
Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Sherrod Brown, Dave Burrows, John Gauthier, Rob Haerr, Cynthia Harper, Wong He, Jill Lamantia
Music
Chad Cannon
Cinematography
Jeff Reichert, Aubrey Keith
Runtime
110 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
Mandarin, English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata