Made in Ethiopia

The film can be a victim of oversupply: Ma is such an outsize personality that she dominates the story, a metaphor for the lopsided power dynamic between the players.

This makes for knotty viewing, with no messages that slip down easily.

Despite an imbalance in perspectives, “Made in Ethiopia” ends up presenting a compelling narrative about how Chinese influence in Ethiopia impacts both expats and native people.

It’s another work about how modern China kept all the worst parts of communism, while also layering on top of it all the worst parts of capitalism.