The Nothing Factory

A human resources rep calls Zé and his coworkers in one by one: their beloved factory, situated on the outskirts of Lisbon, is going to close. The loyal workers are in danger of being played out against each other cleverly from above, with generous buyouts. The determined stayers, however, decide to occupy their workplace; their resistance against big industry has started.
Filmmaker Pedro Pinho took inspiration for his activist feature debut from Judith Herzberg’s play The Nothing Factory, about a factory where nothing happens. In three cleverly acted chapters, he shows the tragicomic consequences of closure. In the naturalistic first part, the initial feelings of impotence quickly give way to bravura: is self-management an option? In the intellectual second part, this discussion is widened with poetic essays and socialist reflections about the demise of the worker in the West. After that, the finale turns into an unadulterated, occasionally absurdist musical with an exuberant dance act on the assembly line.

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