American Dream

In the riveting documentary American Dream, director Barbara Kopple chronicles the 1985-86 Hormel strike in Austin, Minnesota, where workers fought for a fair wage amidst a highly profitable year. As the labor dispute unfolds, friends become enemies, families are divided, and the future of the town hangs in the balance. The film masterfully weaves together interviews with those on both sides of the issue, including civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, to paint a nuanced portrait of a struggle that exposed the dark underbelly of Reaganomics.