Factory is a stark and relentless look at the apathetic machine that is the factory line. Director Hao Zhou shows us the uncomfortable level of micro-management that prioritises profits over humans.

In a Lenovo technology factory, business is ever-evolving, especially in this specific factory in 2020, as it was in Wuhan. Both middle management and floor workers must navigate an ultra-controlled environment where COVID protocols, surveillance, labour demands, competition from other countries, and the rise of machines replacing workers consume all as the human toll battles relentless capitalism.

There are moments that we feel for a multitude of characters within Factory, from the struggling and under-pressure middle managers to the unrelenting work of those on the factory floor. With our middle manager, who opens the film, we see a man who appears to have the world on his shoulders. Tasked with getting the factory up and running, he is constantly surrounded by metrics of what his factory and others are producing, a constant reminder that his factory is producing nothing because of COVID.

So when we see him become more jovial as workers slowly return (2 metres apart) with every precaution under the sun to ensure what we initially think is worker safety, we slowly see the real version of the man as he becomes more glued to the results, more conscious of how he needs to break the slump the production is in and quickly think of alternatives to ensure continual profits for the factory.

That real reason for all the protection, the temperature checks of every worker, the efforts to get them into their dorms safely, the sprays and overalls. It isn’t for the benefit of the employee’s health as much as he just wants the factory line to move as quickly and efficiently as possible, and sadly, sick work disrupts that. Further punching that home in Factory is one of many moments when your mouth just sits there agape at what you are witnessing. Learning that an employee’s parent has passed away and with that employee wanting to obviously go to the funeral. He denies that chance and instead tells the person below him to purchase a wreath and have it labelled from Lenovo as if that is a sufficient substitute for a loved one.

We also get glimpses of what life is like inside and slightly outside the factory through the eyes of a factory floor worker, as we see them in a scene where staff are unhappy with what they feel are smelly overalls that they have to wear during those strict COVID times. We then pick up with her here and there throughout the documentary as she experiences the brunt of the actions of our middle managers.

However, those moments we do get with this specific floor worker aren’t exactly enough, as we are only seeing this one worker and then quick glimpses of others. Instead, we are seeing this through the eyes of the line managers and middle managers, which doesn’t quite work as effectively. We usually only see one-floor worker’s journey, some of which is quite a shock.

One specific moment, which feels pointed out in its very inclusion by Hao Zhou, is when we finally see the living quarters of the factory workers and witness how utterly grim they are. Yes, this is months after work has slowed and many have left, but you would not put a person in a building as run-down as this. It’s a small moment in the documentary, but it leaves a lasting impression. Not only are these workers being scrutinised for any mistakes or missing their quotas, but they are being bussed in from their villages or towns and made to pay for these living conditions. It’s horrible, yet wholly expected.

While Factory offers a comprehensive look at the workings of a factory like the Lenovo one in Wuhan, it shines particularly when it highlights the struggles and thoughts of its lowest-paid staff. By not giving us as much time with them as they have, it takes away some of the power that the floor staff are trying to convey to us by not showing the mental battles they go through. This is especially the case as the film approaches 150 minutes and begins to verge on repetition that only those working within that factory would know.

One question that lingers in your mind throughout the documentary is quite how Hao Zhou was able to get permission to film so much in the factory. The film shows the factory and Lenovo in the great of lights, so it’s practically a miracle that we get a documentary like Factory. Hao Zhou certainly has a wealth of material to work with, and while 150 minutes is quite a stretch for a documentary like this, there are moments of repetition; however, you are always engaged.

Hao Zhou wisely moves the documentary beyond the COVID times, as staying on that period would have been fascinating. Still, it is also important to show how these companies reacted post-lockdown and how they navigated a multitude of circumstances. For example, they recognised the issue of having no staff available to work in the factory, so how do you address that? Build machines that can do it for you. It was quite astonishing to see how quickly this factory and other companies were able to pivot.

Factory is an important look into how inconsequential humans and workers are in the face of businesses just wanting to make that extra few dollars. You shouldn’t miss this one.

★★★ 1/2

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