Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has become a force in the documentary space. The 2025 film about him, The Last Class, ranks as one of the top-grossing nonfiction films of last year, earning more than $1 million at the box office.
Reich returns to the documentary form as executive producer of the new film The Work in Progress, directed by Ian Cheney (The Most Unknown, Picture a Scientist, The Arc of Oblivion), a film that aims to address political polarization by bringing together “Americans who have never met to do something increasingly rare: truly talk, and truly listen… The Work in Progress explores how dialogue and human connection can help bridge America’s deepest divides.”
Abramorama in partnership with Wicked Delicate Films, CoffeeKlatch Productions and Inequality Media, announced the documentary will open theatrically beginning September 4 at the Quad in New York City. It opens later in September at Rialto Elmwood in Berkeley, CA and Rialto Sebastopol in Sebastopol, CA, with more locations to follow.
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The Work in Progress is expected to contend for Oscar consideration this year. Watch the trailer above.
“At a time when cultural, political, economic, and generational divisions continue to deepen, The Work in Progress offers a hopeful outlook on society,” according to a release. “Filmed over the course of six months, the documentary captures over 100 Americans, strangers across seven states as they step outside their comfort zones to engage in candid, face-to-face conversations guided by questions from executive producer Robert Reich about the country they live in, and the one they still believe is possible.”
In a statement, Reich commented, “To heal the country, Americans need to have these sorts of conversations – especially now, when algorithms are shaping so much of our discussions and sharpening our divisions. My hope is that this film helps us people talk with one another again – igniting our curiosity about each other, rekindling our compassion, enabling us to listen and truly hear, and begin rebuilding the respect and trust we need as a country.”
The Work in Progress is produced by Elliot Kirschner (The Last Class, Human Nature, The Most Unknown), CoffeeKlatch Productions founder Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, and Emmy-nominated producer Meredith DeSalazar (Observer, Human Nature, Dan Rather Reports).
Director Ian Cheney is a two-time Emmy nominee and winner of awards at festivals across the U.S. Regarding The Work in Progress, Cheney said, “This film is built around the simple act of looking closely and listening carefully. At a time when so much of our national life feels abstracted into argument, we return to the texture of actual lives: people at work, people in conversation and people trying to make sense of the country they share.”
In the trailer, a deck of cards – inscribed not with clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds but with questions – helps Americans open an important dialogue. Watch it above.
