By Tom and Marilyn Jozwik

HE: Compelling from opening to closing credits … that’s my “CilffsNotes” evaluation of “Made in Bangladesh.”

I can supplement the above by stating that “MIB” is the best movie I’ve seen at a Milwaukee Film Festival in I don’t know how long.

Released in 2019, reality-rooted “MIB” has been labeled “a Bengali ‘Norma Rae’” as it tackles the topic of workers’ rights with a female lead. Bangladeshi actress Rikita Nandini Shimu portrays Shimu Akhtar, counterpart to the title character in the aforementioned Sally Field film. Shimu is catapulted into organizing a union among her garment factory co-workers after one of their number dies in a fire on the job. Scenes of workers scurrying from the blaze to safety early on and scenes of primitive working conditions throughout the film will put historically inclined viewers in mind of New York City’s infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Company.

Rikita Nandini Shimu is outstanding as the outspoken leader of the fledgling factory union. So are Mostafa Monwar as her traditionalist husband, Joyraaj as her autocratic boss and Novera Rahman as the good friend Shimu forfeits to activism. Also to be commended are “MIB’s” 39-year-old director Rubaiyat Hossain (an American-educated woman who’s a native of Bangladesh) and cinematographer Sabine Lancelin (who manages to make the severe existence of the denizens of Dhaka, Bangladesh, almost visceral).

Grade: A

SHE: I agree, this film was captivating from start to finish watching our heroine, Shimu, overcome so many obstacles – including a patriarchal culture -- as she tries to achieve her goal of unionizing the clothing factory she works at. Filmmaker Hossain immerses the viewer in the fascinating sights and sounds of Bangladesh – old narrow, muddy, livestock- and humanity-filled back streets, vehicles as disparate as rickshaws and scooters, buses and cars in a noisy stream on city thoroughfares, even a wedding where women are pictured in a whirl of ethereal, gauzy gowns in a celebration of beauty and happiness. We see Shimu and her husband as they gather around a little fire while Shimu slaps a small fish on the ground complaining that it won’t die.

This creates a colorful, intriguing background for Shimu, who transforms from a shy, unassuming factory worker into a staunch defender of the rights of female workers. We see her and other women losing a month’s pay after a fire shuts the factory down. Safety is not addressed, nor is worker welfare while the factory owners line their pockets. Shimu, whose husband is not working, is the family breadwinner, as are other women. When a lawyer approaches Shimu about the laws and her rights, she realizes she has the stuff of a leader in her.

“Made in Bangladesh” features wonderful performances with a message that cuts through cultural differences.

Grade: A