FOOD INC.
It doesn't take to much of a stretch to know that this movie has something to do with food and corporations. I went into it half expecting Michael Moore or that Fast Food movie guy to preach me into a corner and to an extent the creator of the film (
Robert Kenner) did just that. The difference between him and the rest of those documentary makers is that Kenner seems to be calm and pragmatic when it comes to his preaching, so I'm not to upset about being pinned against the wall by his rhetoric (not anything else you sick bastards). He seems to be making the preachy statements about what the camera catches, not random statistics he found on the web or some hyped up speech writers monologue, which is very refreshing when it comes to these types of films.
Food Inc. does start out quite dramatically but luckily it falls into some genuinly shocking footage and some interesting information that keeps you invested and not screaming at the screen. I suppose you couldn't have a politically motivated movie without the teary eyed people who have been harmed by the omnipresent "system", but all of them seem to be coming from a very realistic position and I never felt as if any of them were being hyperbolic. One interesting thing that the film did point out was the spread of food poisoning from E. Coli due to Cows being forced to wade in their own waste day in and day out until they finally do check out permanently in the factories. The next day after seeing the film there was an article posted on Yahoo about the same type of incident, check out the link to the news report below.
E. Coli Report
Without giving to much of the shock that this film hinges on away I would say that it truly is a movie that will make you question what you're eating and where your food comes from. It's not P.E.T.A. on steroids or Scientology trying to tell you that the government is planting alien seed babies in your vegetables. This is simply a film about how the Food Industrial Complex much like the Military Industrial Complex is designed for profit so what ever can be done to cut costs and make money quicker is favored over such things as workers rights, health inspections, and government regulation of potentially hazardous materials (meat, veggies, chemicals in both, etc...). I would say that this is one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while and would hope it wins some awards so Robert Kenner can continue to do his investigative reporting, I would also be interested in a full fledged fiction from this guy because he has a visual style that is hypnotizing.
Now I know some of you want to sling him into the "hippie liberal commie" group that so many individuals seem to enjoy doing these days. But before you do then at least consider that every single company he wanted to conduct an interview with declined (Tyson, Smithfield, etc...), and that the people he talked to were people involved in agriculture who were being taken advantage of by CEO's of these companies (one example being the companies right to patent genetically modified food, thus the seeds that produce them as well making it difficult for farmers to grow independently.) That says to me they at least don't want to be too open about their practices. This isen't Michael Moore they're dealing with, it's Robert Kenner and I surely hope he dethrowns the overweight king of "evil big brother" documentaries, and starts bringing true investigative reporting back. As of now keep your mind open and don't take my word for it, check out a film that will make you think.
until next time this is J-dub signin out
here's the site he gives at the end of the film to see what you can do to improve your food situation.
Takepart.com
