The Future of Food

This movie was truly shocking. I had no idea what was really truly happening with our food supply, I mean I had an idea, but I didn't think it was this bad. Makes you wanna run out into the streets and shout. I agree with the previous previewer, it is totally watchable for kids, and actually this should be shown in schools, libraries, where ever you can get a group together to see it. This info has got to get out there. WOW! What do we do? How do we do it? What do you eat? Where do you shop? Think about those things. See the movie and then make some changes! Maybe plant your own garden, or join a local CSA... do something!

I really wanted to like this film. It deals with a topic of great importance and generally propagates ideas that I agree with - like the dangers of corporate behavior, the threat to biodiversity that GM products pose and the absurdity of patenting life.

So what's the problem? Let me sum it up:

• most of the movie is comprised from old footage cuts accompanied by a rather dull commentary. Not very captivating.

• the commentary is badly written. It's repetitive and often fails to make a point. For instance, it cites three methods for genetic modification of a cell. Dramatic music, the 'expert' says that the procedure is very invasive to the cell and that it mimics the behavior of a virus and... nothing more. I wanted to know what problems can arise from the treatment but there was no explanation. Is it really surprising that overwriting the DNA is 'invasive' to a cell? Yet, this treacherous 'invasivness' is mentioned several times through the film (with no additional information).

• important information is left out. For example, the movie mentions the Supreme Court's decision on the Monsanto vs. Schmeisser trial but fails to mention the Court's reasoning that sheds a different light on the severity of the ruling. On top of it the court denied any compensation to Monsanto. This clearly didn't fit the film's agenda.

• the choice of the talking heads is poor. When compared to the respectable lineup that producers of other documentaries were able to accumulate (e.g. The Corporation, The Power of Nightmares) I can only assume the creators of The Future of Food just didn't make their homework. Where are (ex)employees of the bioengineering companies, politicians that took part in creating the regulations for GM and where are the representatives of the regulatory government bodies?

I'm just curious as to why some of the negative reviewers sound like they may be working secretly for Archer Daniels Midland or Monsanto. Their bleating objections strike me as being pseudo defensive and very similar to those expressed by the tobacco industry when they're charged with deception and killing people with their product or when "An Inconvenient Truth" broke open the Global Warming debate and conservatives denied its veracity. Someone should check on those guys and how they earn a living. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed "The Future of Food" and felt it did us a great service by expressing another viewpoint OTHER than what we get from the big corporations and our government. I wish it were our government.

It's an important film and well worth seeing and further discussion.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD (TFOF) skillfully takes on the task of describing the constellation of large, hard issues relating to modern food production. What a task! In its analysis TFOF correctly and importantly ties together the relationships among the 3 factors of production - land, labor, and capital - in getting at an accurate description of the modern enclosure movement at work in our fast food world.

TFOF's coverage extends to the many spatial and historical dimensions of farming, to the legal, intellectual property of "pharming," to some of the technical aspects of the genetic modification, and shows where we are headed.... But that's up to you!

TFOF compares to THE CORPORATION in its potential impact. It could be even bigger. My local store was selling it at the checkout counter yesterday - 12/6/2005!

it's time people understand about the destruction of our planet.... this film is an informative way to jump-start that awakening.

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