MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 1, 2026: AMERICAN DREAM

It’s been slightly over 40 years since Hormel factory workers in Austin, Minnesota, went on a nearly year-long strike to protest slashed wages and benefits — and 35 years since Barbara Kopple’s revealing film about the strike, American Dream, won the Best Documentary Oscar in 1991. And what lingers most after watching the movie’s new 4K restoration is the feeling of how relevant so much of it still is decades later.

Sure, fashions and hairstyles may have changed since the mid-’80s, and goodness knows our filmmaking equipment is a bit more sophisticated these days, but we still live in a world (or at least a country) in which the rich continue to get richer while the working class struggles to make ends meet. And when the latter dares to stand up for themselves, they’re met with disdain, condescension, and an unyielding devotion to capitalism. Let’s just say that the parade of White men in suits defending Hormel’s anti-worker policies and choices in 1985 doesn’t feel very far removed from the politicians and business leaders who are still prioritizing profit over people in 2026.

And organizing effectively to demand change is often just as difficult now as it was then, too. The members of the local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers are hardly united in their perspectives on how to deal with Hormel, and even after they do decide to strike, they end up at odds with the national organization. Kopple’s fly-on-the-wall camera captures it all, documenting the union’s internal conflicts, the impact that the strike has on Austin’s residents and other businesses, and the lengths Hormel goes to in order to combat the strike.

As she introduces colorful personalities like labor activist Ray Rogers and union leader Lewie Anderson, as well as the quieter folks who make up the factory rank and file, Kopple makes it very clear that a strike like the one in Austin is complicated, painful, and maddening for everyone involved. Which isn’t to say that it’s not the right thing to do when circumstances demand it — but wouldn’t the real American dream be to build a society in which workers were treated fairly and respectfully and striking was never necessary in the first place? — Betsy Bozdech

Team #MOTW’s comments:

Sandie Angulo Chen: This May Day is an ideal time to watch, or revisit, Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award-winning documentary American Dream, about the 1985-86 Hormel meatpackers’ strike in Austin, Minnesota. Kopple’s 1990 film, which has been restored and rereleased, chronicles the weakening of trade unions during the Reagan era and the rise of corporate power. She captures everything from the solidarity and hope at the strike’s outset to the devastation when strikebreakers cross the picket lines, pitting friends, neighbors, and even brothers against one another. A remarkable documentary, American Dream confirms Kopple’s place in the pantheon of essential documentarians alongside Werner Herzog, Agnès Varda, Ken Burns, and Michael Moore.

Loren King Director Barbara Kopple’s Oscar winning 1990 documentary “The American Dream” remains sobering, infuriating evidence of how we got in the mess we’re now in. Thanks to Kopple and Janus Films, this 4K restoration, supervised by Kopple and including a remastered soundtrack (Kopple recorded the film’s dynamic sound, just as she did for her 1976 masterpiece “Harlan County, USA”) will bring new audiences to this stunning, relevant work. Read full review

Nell Minow: Barbara Kopple’s film holds up well. Her extraordinary ability to listen with the camera and to gain the trust of the people she is filming make the experience of watching immediate, seamless, and immersive. She lets the people tell their own story, and it is one that is even more meaningful and cautionary today than it was when she made it.

Monique Jones American Dream should be a relic of the past. But, even though it was made in 1990, elements of the film are still, sadly, relevant today. Today, we live in a time in which workers are being let go or faced with reduced wages. No matter what your job situation is, the dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to and companies are focused on making more money at the expense of the people. American Dream asks who has access to that dream–is it only for the execs who forget about the value of their workers, or is it for the workers who want to achieve a sustainable life for their families?

Leslie Combemale Right now the corporate world and Hollywood job markets are shrinking. Folks paying attention have seen the recent struggles for better working conditions and pay at Amazon and Starbucks, both resulting in limited success for employees. For those reasons, the 4K restoration of Barbara Koppel’s documentary masterpiece couldn’t come at a better time. The film always struck me as a Greek tragedy, in which hope for the future is hard won, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling. Beyond being like a time capsule of the political and labor union challenges of the late 1980s, it is fascinating viewing for bringing perspective to the current fight for workers’ rights. Though a hard watch, this is absolutely essential viewing.