The Nothing Factory

At times operatic saga of a labour dispute in Lisbon makes for compelling drama for the first half, sketching some interesting characters in the disgruntled workpeople (and some hilarious digs at management-speak personified by the administrators). Loses considerable momentum in the second half, becoming overly dry and didactic, never recovering from a stifling dining table conversation; this makes some of the more bizarre digressions in the home stretch that much more difficult to take.