American Factory was presented at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019, the documentary was directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert and produced by Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello. It is the first movie produced by Higher Ground Productions, Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company. The documentary  focuses on Chinese company Fuyao’s factory in Moraine, a city near Dayton, Ohio, that occupies Moraine Assembly, a shuttered General Motors plant. It explores some of the differences between U.S. and Chinese culture, especially in relation to the workplace. 

discussion

How do the first scenes of the trailer portray the recently unemployed General Motors employees?

How does the trailer portray the differences between Chinese and American workers?

At the end of the trailer we can see that, despite the differences, the U.S. and Chinese employees end up admiring each other and becoming friends. Why do you think that happened? What message were they trying to give?

Halfway through the trailer someone asks “is this a union shop” and is told “it is our desire to not be” though later in the trailer we see people campaigning for a union. How are unions discussed in the U.S.? What role do they play for the working class?