This film is quiet and, yes, sad. But it is so full of hope and shows the best in us as humans - and some the worst. But without the worst, how could we be our best? And the best wins out in this one. The actors are real, the town and factory are gritty. There's nothing pretty about it, but so many wonderful things happen ......... ever so slowly. Reviewers who say it isn't realistic haven't had any experience with the main topics of this film - it's all very real. It lets us know we aren't alone.

There are two ways to look at this film: The way I believe the director intended, to be touching / hopeful, and the way he didn't, which displays a harrowing look at Americans and how we define "self-worth" in our society.

On the brighter side of things, the message the director wants you to get from the film, is that people just want to feel useful / to have purpose, and that we can get through anything if people really "see" us and are there for each other. I get that and can appreciate the message. It's heartfelt and needed in these times. I also enjoyed the setting, as being born and raised in the Midwest myself the setting was extremely familiar to me.

My only complaint with "the message" as delivered in this film was the uneven acting on display, some people really nailed their part, like the lead Peter Gerety, others? Not so much.

But my larger complaint with this film was what the director saw as strength and the triumph of the human spirit, I saw as an almost horror show of sorts. The horror show that is American capitalism. Every one of the workers was portrayed as down on their luck, miserable humans who just desperately "wanted to work", even, ridiculously, for free if they have to. "I just want to work" these desperate, poor fools yell out repeatedly throughout the film. That's some Animal Farm dystopia on display right there.

A man / woman are not their jobs, it's not who they are, it's just a job. Enslaving yourself to work and desperately clawing at factory gates to work for free is a capitalism "wet dream" I suppose for the sake of capitalism itself, but it's horrifying to think what these people were willing to subject themselves to, and we're supposed to think this is...romantic? Um, no, sorry, it's not.

I liked the story, loved some of the acting, but the message was cold and hollow, and perfectly sums up why the American middle class is dying.

This is a gentle movie, about people, work and our minds. Nice for a rainy evening.