The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (2009)

To the residents of Moraine, Ohio, General Motors was more than just a car company, it was the lifeblood of a community. In the wake of GM's 2008 announcement that it was closing the plant,... See full summary »

Directors:

Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Writers:

Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Stars:

Popeye Hurst, Kim Clay, Kate Geiger

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Popeye Hurst	...	Himself
Kim Clay	...	Himself
Kate Geiger	...	Herself
Kathe Day	...	Herself
Joyce Gilbert	...	Herself
Louis Carter	...	Himself
Darlene Henson	...	Herself
Rick Stacy	...	Himself
Kevin Claypool	...	Himself
Dana Baker	...	Dana Baker
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dave Harris	...	Himself

Storyline

To the residents of Moraine, Ohio, General Motors was more than just a car company, it was the lifeblood of a community. In the wake of GM's 2008 announcement that it was closing the plant, stunned workers looked back at their careers at GM, reminiscing about the opportunities, friendships and pride that the factory line had given them. Through their words, this documentary stands as an elegy to a dying American manufacturing system--and a timely look at the U.S. auto industry in crisis.

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Taglines:

The inside story of the last days of a General Motors plant in Moraine, Ohio, as lived by the people who worked the line.

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 2012 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

Az utolsó kocsi: Egy General Motors telep bezárása

Filming Locations:

Moraine, Ohio, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

User Reviews

End of an era

'The Last Truck' is a straightforward account of a grim, Ohio winter; and the closing of a giant automobile factory, owned by the troubled General Motors. Such a huge plant is always going to dominate the local economy; the film follows the soon-to-be redundant workforce, as they contemplate a future world that may not be as kind to them as the one they enjoyed previously. The film makes the important point that GM's high cost base is due mainly to a pension bill, rather than through overpayment of current staff, a problem widespread in many modern economies but maybe particularly severe in America because of the absence of state-funded alternatives to corporate pension plans. What it doesn't mention is something that many outside the U.S. might assert: that fundamentally, modern American cars are rubbish. The factory in question built S.U.V.s, for which demand fell drastically when the economy fell on hard times; the likes of GM were particularly hit because they never tried to make fuel-efficient vehicles in the days when oil was cheap. Nonetheless, this is still a sympathetic portrait of the characters of the men and women who worked the line; and a grim reminder of the human costs of recession.