Stephen Maing is no stranger to tackling tough subjects. His previous film, "Crime and Punishment" (2018 WATCH DOCS Competition), exposed corruption within the New York Police Department. In his latest documentary, he turns his lens to Amazon’s working conditions, focusing on one of the company’s massive warehouses at New York's JFK Airport, where employees embark on a daunting mission: forming a trade union in a corporation notorious for its harsh treatment of workers. The film’s central figure is an unconventional leader, Chris Smalls, who exudes the swagger of a gangster from a hip-hop music video. To sway the undecided, he hands out marijuana. Amazon's management, however, doesn’t sit idly by—hidden cameras reveal the manipulative tactics used to undermine the union effort. As the harsh New York winter approaches, the question looms: will the activists succeed in rallying the warehouse workers to take a chance?

Konrad Wirkowski