Black Gold

I have to admit that I have been drinking coffee for forty years and I will be drinking coffee when I finally give up the ghost. I found this story to be so exciting, but also sad. I really enjoyed seeing the process of coffee growing, roasting and sale, but I was totally distressed at the fact that a cup of coffee sells for 25 times what the farmers in Ethopia get for growing it. It is further distressing that a small increase in the amount paid would make tremendous effect on their lives. They just want to educate their children and buy them a pair of shoes. Paying them a fair price would probably not increase what we pay for a pound of coffee in a measurable way, but it would make all the difference in the world to them. What is the alternative? They are now growing plants used as a narcotic in East Africa because they cannot get a fair price for coffee. The shame is not on them, but on us. This was a great film and the only criticism I could ever make about it was that it was not in Indonesia, where they make my favorite Sulawese coffee.

If I may begin with a quote from The Wire I will because, when considering this film the phrase "all the pieces matter" did come to my mind. The film presents itself as another in a recent line of documentaries that very much appeal to people of my demographic because it puts an unacceptable situation in front of us and challenges the way we live our lives and allow our lives to be lived. In the case of Black Gold, the subject is coffee and, as a "fair trade" buyer of some time I was looking to have my opinion of the subject informed.

The structure of the film looks at coffee in Ethiopia, Seattle, London and so on as it paints a picture of situation where what the growers get paid is a shameful pittance compared to the amount the western coffee drinker would pay for even a home-made cup from granules. It should be shockingly compelling stuff and I was astonishing to find that it was not at all like this. It is maybe a failing in the structure because the makers seem to have had great access to the subject through Tadessa Meskela, who leads a cooperative of Ethiopian coffee farmers. This does mean that we spend too much time at his level and seeing things with his eyes, which works but is not the best way of carrying the film. Of course this needs to be part of it but it is almost the all.

What it badly needed was a much wider view. OK the corporations unsurprisingly did not wish to take part in this film but it badly needs some evidence of them and their role in the pricing. Without this focus the film doesn't really offer many answers or present a driver for the terrible situations it lets us see. To some viewers I'm sure this will be praise worthy because a documentary need not be about emotion and banging a drum but this does not mean it needs to be lacking in heart just because it is not a Michael Moore polemic. The lack of heart does not come from the subject but rather the delivery; it is a bit all over the place and I'm not entirely sure what some section were designed to achieve – a tasting in Starbucks seems like time wasted in an already short run time.

Overall then this is a so-so film but given the subject and the plight of the growers, even the kindest viewer would admit this film is more missed potential than delivery. Positive reviews tend to praise it for its intension and I do not begrudge them this. The proof though, is in the pudding and that is where the film should be judged. Sadly it is poorly structure and doesn't ever get a handle on the subject in a way that isn't that compelling or challenging – and considering everything that is a shocking failure.

I just saw this beautifully shot, emotionally restrained documentary at The Ridge Theatre in Vancouver, B.C. It makes a quiet case for the moral necessity of some sort of CODE of global conduct in doing business. The coffee farmers in Etheopia are getting 22 CENTS a Kilo. They are STARVING. The price is manipulated in New York, and WTO seems to think this is okay. I'm fairly confident that 95% of North America coffee drinkers would be willing to pay 25 cents more a cup, to fix this situation. Damnit, this is a wonderful piece of film-making. They find the little defining moments, like a close-up shot of an Etheopian worker, cutting a bag with a naked razor blade.

What makes "Black Gold", One of the best at The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, is that not only is it a well made film, it has a point. And a very very important point.

In the opening scenes of "Black Gold", The camera slowly rolls through expert coffee tasters, who taste "The Best Coffee in the world". The camera quickly switches gears to Addis Abbaba, in Ethiopia, where it shows the coffee storage places, and the workers in it. What apt movie watchers will soon understand, is that the great filmmakers switch between the luxurious life of drinking coffee, and how a ton of workers dig it out, just to get paid 20 cents.

The ravishingly intellectual filmmakers then switch to 1 man: Tadesse Meskela, General Manager, Oromo Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, Ethiopia. He travels great distances to advertise his coffee, but his main goal is his farmers. He wants his farmers to get paid what they really deserve.

This film has other points as well, such as the power of imperialist countries, as well as the multi-millionaire companies that sell what they don't really deserve.

Black Gold is a must see.

I watched this film tonight in an advance screening at Georgia Tech. The documentary follows a cooperative in Oromia, Ethiopia and its attempts to gain a better price for its farmers. Contrasting the rich urban life of the consumer with the impoverished rural life of the producer, the truth is staggering: The premium price paid by consumers at the counter goes almost entirely to corporations and only pennies on the dollar to the farmer. The farmers don't seek luxuries or to extort consumers, only to be paid and treated fairly and equitably, to dull the edge on their harsh lifestyle. The larger plight of Africans is broached as is world trade of Third World exports. It was extremely refreshing that there was no attempt to preach nor use emotional tricks as are found in many large release documentaries, instead allowing the facts to speak for themselves. This dryness adds both to its authenticity and its credibility.

Unfortunately, no film is perfect. The filmmakers criticize Starbucks for not purchasing Ethiopian fair trade coffee without the context that the company is one of the few purchasers of fair trade coffee from Central and South America. While their actions can improve, they are significantly ahead of other companies with whom they compete. Also, the film displays too many scenes without the context required: "What are we seeing?" The story is an important one but more depth could have been given and a larger spotlight shone on the participants. Even with these flaws, it is a very worthwhile documentary and may give people their first glimpses into the world outside their borders.

7 out of 10: Truth is vicious when you are guarded by lies.