Film on Chinese-run glass factory in US depicts cultural cooperation

A documentary about a Chinese-run factory in Ohio, backed by Barack and Michelle Obama's Netflix production company, is drawing praise for its realistic depiction of what happens when two different cultures meet in the workplace.

The film, American Factory, which debuted on Wednesday, tells the story of the Fuyao Glass plant in Dayton, Ohio.

In 2015, Fuyao moved into a shuttered General Motors factory to establish its first manufacturing facility in the United States. It has become the world's largest auto-glass manufacturing site, employing 2,000 local blue-collar workers.

The story unfolds with the integration of conflicts between Chinese management and technicians and US workers at the company, providing a window on the impact of globalization in the workplace.

Directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, a couple living in Dayton, filmed 1,200 hours of video over three years.

"People like the people I grew up with were not really seen in films, documentaries, on news. In the Midwest, in the heartland of America, you didn't hear from those folks," Reichert said.

Bognar said: "We want to give voice to people who don't appear on screen: working people, their stories, their struggles, their hopes. That should be on screen. Those (stories) should be out in the world, because they're as equally compelling as superheroes."

The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It was later acquired from Participant Media by Higher Ground Productions, the Obamas' Netflix production company, becoming the first release with the former first couple as producers.

In a 10-minute conversation, the Obamas talked with the directors about the documentary and the importance of storytelling.

"One of the many things I love about this project that you two did together is that you let people tell their own story," the former first lady said in a video, American Factory: A Conversation with the Obamas, that was released on Netflix with the film on Wednesday.

"What I was struck by was they (workers) exhibited a lot more trust than I would've expected. I think one of the things that makes the movie powerful is the fact that it's not all black-and-white. There's a bunch of gray," said former US president Barack Obama.

In the opening scenes of the film, genuine attempts by Chinese and American employees to build teamwork appear to bear some fruit.

Local residents in the Rust Belt expressed gratitude about an opportunity to get a job with a decent paycheck and have a chance to learn the latest glass-production technology.

The workers appear to grow closer via teaching and learning, fishing, horseback riding and celebrating Thanksgiving together.

But as management grew increasingly worried over early financial losses, the company switched to a more market-oriented strategy with a more efficient working mechanism. This led to disagreements and disputes in the factory.

"I never thought a documentary on an American manufacturing plant would be so interesting," said one commenter on the film's IMDb page. "Extremely interesting insight into the world of manufacturing in small-town USA as well as the cultural differences between the USA and China."

The Chinese in the film, who operate under a creed of diligence and simplicity, appear willing to sacrifice rest time for better work results.

Many US workers, however, who are more individualistic, consider work-life balance to be paramount, viewing time on the job as a way to make money to enjoy life off the clock more.

"Admittedly, in the early days, it was exciting, these cultures coming together. And you see that in the film," co-director Bognar said. "There's a lot of optimism. And we were there. And as things got hard, we were still there. We were lucky, people trusted us with their story, and we tried to represent them, and that's a huge responsibility."

Leo Chan, executive director of the Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati, Ohio, who attended a screening ceremony on Tuesday, said, "The documentary is informative, and I can tell that the whole shooting process was really transparent.

Chan said he could see how the fast-changing external environment, such as a profit-driven market and automation replacing manpower, put pressure on interpersonal relationships at the plant.

Chan said the film is a good example of Sino-US cooperation, "from the contact and blending of cultures between the two sides at the beginning, to conflict and friction. It is typical, and is a microcosm of Sino-US cooperation".

In April, the film won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival in North Carolina.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily Global 08/23/2019 page1)