Roger & Me

Filmed over more than three years, Michael Moore's first film chronicles the decline of the city of Flint, Michigan, after the relocation of General Motors's factories to Mexico. In an almost absurd quest, Moore tracks down Roger Smith, CEO of the group, to ask him to answer to the 30,000 laid-off workers. Between satire, investigation, and self-portrait, Moore transforms this search into a chronicle of a territory struck by deindustrialization. Intersecting are evictions, unemployment, survival strategies, and optimistic speeches about economic recovery. The film also shows how a city deprived of its industry seeks to convert itself through tourism, leisure, services, or prestige projects supposed to replace lost jobs. Flint thus becomes an early portrait of a post-industrial landscape where the future is promised while the present is falling apart. Film projection!