(Photo: Netflix)

Washington (People's Daily) -- "American Factory," the first film by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, was released on streaming platform Netflix on Wednesday. The documentary, directed by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, focuses on a well-known Chinese investment project in Ohio, Fuyao’s reopening of a former GM plant, as well as cultural clashes between American and Chinese employees that came with the project.

The story began in 2008. Amid the financial crisis, General Motors closed a production plant in Moraine, Ohio, leaving 2,400 union workers jobless and in despair. Then, in 2015, the change locals had hoped for finally happened. Fuyao, a Chinese company that makes auto glass, decided to reopen a factory there, employing 1,000 locals. Led by Cao Dewang, a well-known Chinese entrepreneur, Fuyao brought 200 experienced Chinese employees to Ohio to run the factory.

The transition, however, did not go smoothly. While local workers were initially pleased to welcome a new boss, differences in work culture and business practices soon surfaced. In the eyes of Chinese staff, their American colleagues worked slowly and communication costs were too high. For their part, American workers complained about the strict discipline of Chinese management, and that many jobs required repetition, which they found dull and difficult.

"A good story gives you the chance to better understand someone else's life," Mr Obama tweeted Wednesday. "It can help you find common ground. And it's why Michelle and I were drawn to Higher Ground's first film, 'American Factory.'"

It is the cultural clash between Chinese and American employees that is the interesting highlight of this documentary. Apart from that, as a VOX review noted, the veteran documentary directors also train their cameras on the tasks and materials of factory work, giving audiences an idea of “how complicated and difficult the job is, and how valuable skilled labor is as well.”

Some reviewers have also stressed that in the context of escalating trade friction between the US and China and President Trump's continuous sale of “America first,” this story of US-China dialogue is triggering a more meaningful discussion.

In a conversation between the Obamas and the directors that Netflix released in a promotional video, the Obamas said that they felt the film stood for the values they wanted their production company to represent — namely, giving a voice to those aiming to help “people understand something they didn’t understand before.”

As CBS reported, "American Factory" also chronicles the impact of globalization on working-class employees, including rising income inequality, and the mass transfer of jobs to nations overseas where wages are lower.

The documentary is the first in a series of original releases planned by Higher Ground for Netflix.

In a statement issued by Netflix last year, the Obamas said they "hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples and help them share their stories with the entire world."