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The Future of Food
Directed by: Deborah Koons
Starring:
The Monsanto Corp.
Genre:
Documentary
Run Time: 88 min.
Release Date:
September 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
I worry about documentaries
that get rave reviews but only show one side of the issue. And such was
the case with THE FUTURE OF FOOD. Don’t get me wrong, this film
had some interesting information for viewers but it’s very lopsided in
presentation.
Its focus was on genetically engineered crops and how it affects
everything from the seed to the dinner table. The film really goes after
The Monsanto Corporation which is responsible for many lawsuits around
the globe related to their patenting of a particular type of “Round-Up
Ready” seed. What this means is that the crop itself becomes toxic to
certain insects but not to humans. This gives it an advantage in that
the crop becomes more sustainable with possible higher yields. The
problem is that never before has something living been given a patent.
And when seeds from adjoining Monsanto product fields accidentally blow
into non-Monsanto fields, the law gets extremely convoluted. Now a
farmer who has never bought a Monsanto product suddenly begins growing
Round-Up Ready crops, and Monsanto wants their money.
The documentary would lead you to believe that Monsanto was out to
destroy the small, independent farmer, and this is a possibility. Maybe
a bit of a stretch but certainly not something beyond the Big Business
approach in today’s capitalist market. It is also where the documentary
begins to show some logical leaks. Not once are we shown an interview
with a Monsanto representative (or even an attempt to get one) which
gives The Future of Food its aforementioned lopsided
presentation. If film makers want to be taken seriously, they have to be
willing to risk ridicule from “the other side.” This gives viewers the
chance to discuss and research the topic and not simply force-fed (no
pun intended) the documentary-makers’ opinion.
The other issue with the film is that there was a section dedicated to
the molecular make-up of certain genetically modified seeds. Although
interesting and important, it went too far into microbiology and
genetics for the average person (I’ve actually studied science so it
wasn’t too far of a stretch, but the non-scientific mind might have
quite a bit of difficulty with it).
The ending of the documentary was probably the most interesting part,
showing how the organic farmers are reaching out to communities via
farmers markets and appropriate labeling (something that genetically
modified developers do not want).
All in all this was very much a scare tactic approach to shock the
viewer into action. Although this isn’t as horrible as it sounds, anyone
with half a brain will most likely wonder what Monsanto and other GM
farming groups think about the entire subject. Unfortunately, through
this film, we’ll never know.
I will say that if even a fraction of what was presented here is true,
then watching the film is worth your while. But I’d recommend doing some
research afterward so that you get the entire picture.
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Image from The Future of
Food
DVD cost: $14.99
Purchase:
Amazon.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The film asks that
consumers get involved by checking in with one of the following: The
Center for Food Safety, Organic Seed Alliance, Union of Concerned
Scientists, Crop Choice, Greepeace, etc.
Movie Quote: "I
think this is the largest biological experiment humanity has ever
entered into."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Future of Food
NO IMAGES AVAILABLE |
