--- title: "American Factory: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/american-factory/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/american-factory" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # American Factory (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 13 reviews: 11 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like American Factory, and for the same reasons. The praise clusters around the access Bognar and Reichert secured to a Chinese-owned plant on the site of a shuttered GM factory in Ohio, and around their refusal to take sides: the film is repeatedly described as even-handed, humane and free of villains. Several reviews single out the editing for holding a large cast of American and Chinese workers and managers in view, and the union campaign of the second half is widely thought its most dramatic stretch. The reservations are narrower and come from a minority. Slant Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter both detect a xenophobic undertone in how the Chinese workers are handled; Slant also feels the film skims threads it ought to follow, while the Reporter finds the American characters underdrawn. The Playlist calls it layered but without a firm point of view. The spread is not wide: no negative reviews, two mixed, and even those credit the union sequences. ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating A-. 19 August 2019. The critic praises the film's matter-of-fact, non-agitprop approach to labor and cultural clashes, reminiscent of Barbara Kopple documentaries, and its even-handed treatment of all parties involved. It singles out the fly-on-the-wall access and detailed depiction of differing work ethics and cultural divides for commendation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/there-s-no-michael-moore-style-agitprop-in-the-superb-c-1837370790) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 2019. The critic calls the film a great, expansive, deeply humanist work that is angry yet empathetic, effectively gesturing toward the decline of traditional manufacturing work. It singles out the intimate access to both American and Chinese perspectives and the vivid portrayal of cultural misunderstandings for praise. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/american-factory-review-obamas-netflix-doc-is-eye-opening.html) ## Film Comment — Eric Hynes Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2019. The critic praises the film's balanced and expansive portrayal of the factory ecosystem, honoring multiple viewpoints without simplistic advocacy. It singles out the access granted by management and the editing for capturing the complexities of global labor and worker struggles. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/make-it-real-double-shifts/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2019. Turan commends the film for its multifaceted look at U.S.-Chinese collaboration, emphasizing the empathetic depiction of cultural differences and the complexities of global economics rather than a simplistic narrative. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-20/american-factory-review-documentary-china-barack-michelle-obama-netflix) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2019. Festival review. The review praises the film's remarkably candid, fly-on-the-wall account of the culture clash and labor struggles at a Chinese-owned factory in Ohio. It highlights the skillful construction and topical access to personal stories and broader economic conflicts. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/american-factory-sundance-review/5136212.article) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 April 2019. Festival review. The critic praises the film's exploration of cultural clashes in a Chinese-owned factory reopening a GM plant, highlighting the nuanced portrayal of workers' struggles with wages, unions, and differing work ethics. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/american-factory-review-2-1203198182/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 August 2019. The critic describes the film as an absorbing study of the culture clash in a Chinese-run Ohio car plant, but ultimately a sobering documentary in a minor key that highlights issues of capital versus labour. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/aug/15/american-factory-review-a-sobering-documentary-by-the-obamas) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 August 2019. Brody highlights the film's access to the factory and its probing analysis of labor issues amplified by political conflicts between American workers and Chinese management. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/american-factory) ## Slant Magazine — Carson Lund Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2019. Festival review. The critic notes the film's committed stance as a rallying cry for worker solidarity but complains that it skims the surface of fascinating threads and treats Chinese workers in a somewhat undifferentiated, xenophobic manner. It singles out the final hour's effective populist filmmaking and union vote coverage for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/maryland-film-festival-2019-the-hottest-august-donbass-american-factory/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2019. Festival review. The critic describes the film as earnest and well-intentioned in its portrayal of a Chinese company reopening an Ohio factory but notes it fails to fully resolve complex ideas about the American Dream. Praise goes to the dramatic and amusing union campaign sections, while complaints focus on underdeveloped American characters and lingering xenophobic undertones. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/american-factory-review-1179477/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2020. Bognar and Reichert's observational approach maintains balance without seeking villains, highlighting how productivity pressures and weak labor laws erode worker welfare while individuals remain small cogs in a larger machine. The film stands out for its eye for gesture, smooth editing, and evocative score that captures both automation's rhythm and workers' emotional landscape. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/american-factory-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2019. The critic describes the film as a bleak examination of cultural clashes and capitalist pressures when a Chinese company takes over a shuttered Ohio factory, likening it to a Frank Capra story that ends before resolution. It singles out the illuminating portrayal of globalization's human costs and the filmmakers' balanced view of both cultures amid union tensions and efficiency demands. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/american-factory-film-review-netflix-obama/) ## The Playlist — Andrew Bundy Rating B-. 21 August 2019. The documentary is respectably layered in its cross-cultural observations but ultimately lacks a firm thematic viewpoint or clear perspective, making it thematically unfocused despite interesting material. It succeeds best in specific interpersonal sequences, such as the US workers' trip to the Chinese plant. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/american-factory-review-20190821/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/american-factory.md