Directed by Brad Lichstenstein
As Goes Janesville delivers a powerful multi-faceted account of the struggles and hopes of union workers, business leaders, and elected officials to rebuild their lives and their town's economy following the 2008 closure of the oldest operating General Motors plant. Meanwhile, newly elected governor Scott Walker ignites a firestorm by introducing a bill to end collective bargaining, sparking a recall election.
The film follows laid-off workers Cindy Deegan, a factory worker going back to school to train for a non-union job that pays a third of her former wage as well as African-Americans Gayle Listenbee and Angie Hodges who both leave family behind to follow their union jobs to GM plants in other states. Meanwhile, business leader, Mary Willmer-Sheedy, co-chair of a private economic development initiative supported by the governor, woos out-of-state businesses to bring economic development to town. The film also follows democrat State senator Tim Cullen as he tries to persuade GM to return to town and eventually, flees the state to stop governor Scott Walker's anti-union initiatives.
Both a microcosm of America's economic crisis and an exploration of the country's tug-of-war over labor relations, As Goes Janesville is a powerful and balanced illustration of the power of community, and of individuals coming together despite diverging politics to protect the American Dream.
Reviews
~ "An up-close view of one of the meanest and most dramatic chapters in recent American politics: the battle over collective-bargaining rights for Wisconsin state employees and the subsequent effort to recall the Republican governor, Scott Walker, from office.... a political thriller!"- The New York Times
~ "Movies often sacrifice the statistical evidence to a good story. As Goes Janesville does not." - Luigi Zingales, Library of Economics and Library
~ "This intimate verit¨¦-style documentary supplies refreshingly human insight into America's economic crisis." - Time Out Chicago
Awards
~ Winner, Best Documentary, Oregon Independent Film Festival
~ Winner, Special Jury Award- Feature, Milwaukee Film Festival
~ Winner, Best Documentary, Columbia Gorge Film Festival
~ Winner, Best Documentary, Independent Film Quarterly Festival
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