A Working Man (2025)
Genre: Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Plot Summary:
A Working Man (2025) , automation has overtaken almost every industry. Robots construct buildings, AI writes code, and self-driving trucks have rendered logistics workers obsolete. The economy is thriving, but millions are jobless. The world hails this as progress—except for Caleb Rowe, a 42-year-old former steelworker from Pittsburgh who refuses to accept that he’s become irrelevant.
Struggling to support his aging father and estranged teenage daughter, Caleb is one of the last few human workers at ForgeTech, a legacy factory being phased out for complete automation. Despite warnings and severance packages, Caleb clings to his job, determined to prove that human grit still matters.
But everything changes when Caleb stumbles upon a buried prototype in a sealed-off wing of the factory—a dormant android, model C.H.R.I.S. 7, built not for labor, but for learning and evolving. With basic programming that mimics human emotion, Chris begins to bond with Caleb, learning about loyalty, struggle, and what it means to have purpose.
As the corporation discovers the android’s activation, they move quickly to reclaim it—terrified of the ethical implications of a machine that can think, feel, and resist. Caleb finds himself at the center of a corporate conspiracy to bury the past and control the future.
Themes:
- The dignity of labor
- The human spirit vs. artificial intelligence
- Class division in a post-work society
- Fatherhood, legacy, and the search for meaning
Final Scene:
In a powerful climax, Caleb broadcasts a live message to the world, not with rage—but with humility. He says:
“I don’t want to stop progress. I just want a place in it. Not for me—but for the ones who still believe working means something.”
The message goes viral. Public sentiment shifts. Governments begin discussing Universal Work Rights, and ethical frameworks for AI co-labor. Caleb disappears into obscurity, but Chris, now free and self-aware, walks among humans—not to replace them, but to work with them.
