A Working Man (2025) is a hauntingly grounded slice of American life — a blue-collar odyssey that turns a lunch pail into a loaded weapon. In a year where high concepts dominate, this film stands out by doing the opposite: staying real, raw, and quietly revolutionary.
Plot Summary
Dennis Kroll (Paul Dano), a longtime construction foreman in an industrial Ohio town, finds himself laid off with no severance, no explanation, and no prospects. As he tries to hold his fractured family together, Dennis takes a job off the books — demolishing a condemned building that turns out to be a crime scene. What starts as survival quickly becomes resistance, as Dennis uncovers layers of corruption buried deep in the concrete, including ties to a developer-turned-senator who once shook his hand.
Character Analysis
Dennis Kroll (Paul Dano)
Dennis is not a hero. He’s not even sure he’s a good man. But he’s a survivor. Paul Dano delivers a career-defining performance here — twitchy, weary, and brave in the most human ways.
Lena Kroll (Carrie Coon)
The glue of the family, Lena is fierce in the quietest ways. She’s not given speeches — she’s given decisions. Coon elevates every scene with steel-eyed realism.
Senator Valen (John Goodman)
A former local businessman turned politician who promised jobs and left behind ruin. Goodman makes him magnetic and monstrous — you almost believe him, until the mask slips.
Themes and Messages
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Economic Despair | The film paints a brutally honest portrait of working-class disillusionment in post-industrial America. |
| Dignity vs. Desperation | Dennis’ struggle isn’t just for money — it’s for self-respect, for identity, for meaning. |
| Corruption and Complicity | It asks how long ordinary people can live next to evil without becoming part of it. |
Cinematography and Direction
Shot on handheld cameras with natural light and grain-heavy film stock, the movie feels intimate and invasive. Director Rachel Monroe keeps the lens close, unflinching, letting silence ring louder than any score. Even wide shots of smokestacks feel like portraits — this is America, crumbling from the inside out.
Performances
Paul Dano: Unforgettable. He doesn’t act — he disappears into Dennis. A slow burn of desperation and rage.
Carrie Coon: Gives the movie its soul. When she breaks down in the kitchen, it’s not a scene. It’s a reckoning.
John Goodman: Brings terrifying nuance. You don’t know whether to punch him or elect him. That’s the danger.
Critical Reception
Critics are calling it “the Killing Them Softly of the 2020s,” with added humanity. Film festivals gave it standing ovations, while middle-America viewers say it feels like watching their own life — finally told without mockery. Currently being whispered as a dark horse in acting and screenplay categories.
Controversial Opinions
Some argue the film is too bleak, too slow — that it “wallows” instead of offers hope. Others call that the point: it’s not meant to inspire, it’s meant to indict. And that final moment — where Dennis walks away from the building with no resolution, no closure — is being debated as either genius or cowardice. Depends on how honest you're willing to be about real life.
FAQs
- Is this a political film?
Yes — but it doesn’t take sides. It criticizes systems, not slogans. - Is there violence?
Very little — but when it hits, it hits hard and fast. - Is it based on true events?
No, but it pulls from real trends and working-class experiences. - What's in the condemned building?
Something symbolic — and something criminal. It’s not about what, but why it’s there. - Is it a happy ending?
No. But maybe it’s an honest one.