Le dos au mur

A workers strike in 1979 at the Alsthom plant in Saint-Ouen, France. The movie is filmed by the movie director who turned workers rights activist some years before and started working in the factory. When it came to the strike, he was asked to film the whole process. The movie shows us the reasons behind the strike by interviewing the strikers, but shows us also the degree of desperation they have for attempting this. The machines are sabotaged by hiding critical parts and the factory doors are blocked and welded, and the factory is occupied by the workers in the course of the strike, that only lasts some days and doesn't lead to any big advances for them.