Blu-Ray Review: Galvanizing ‘Food, Inc.’ is Riveting, Must-See Viewing

CHICAGO – If you thought Al Gore’s truth was inconvenient, get a load of the one presented by filmmaker Robert Kenner. To paraphrase Peter Finch, Kenner’s new documentary is guaranteed to make viewers exclaim, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to eat the same way anymore.”

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Like Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story,” “Food, Inc.” boldly questions the entire system that American citizens have taken for granted over the last several decades. One of the most noble uses of the cinematic medium is to investigate issues that most people wouldn’t have the time or ability to examine on their own. “Food, Inc.” isn’t just great investigative journalism, it’s one of the year’s best films. It may be hard to stomach, but it’s well worth digesting.

Food, Inc. was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Magnolia Home Video

Author/journalists Eric Schlosser (“Fast Food Nation”) and Michael Pollan (“The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”) serve as the audience’s guide through a series of vignettes that illuminate the inherent corruption of industrial food production. In just the last fifty years, a small group of multinational corporations have seized control of America’s farmland. Through the film’s exhaustive research, it becomes shockingly clear that large-scale agricultural food production puts the health of consumers and the environment at great risk. Since the film offers one jaw-dropping fact after another, it’s tempting for a review to simply reiterate them. I’d rather have you discover them for yourself.

Food, Inc. was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 3rd, 2009. Photo credit: Magnolia Home Video

Even though many of the facts will seem familiar to anyone whose read Schlosser and Pollan’s work, this film once again proves that a picture is worth a thousand words. Viewers won’t be able to forget the dystopian imagery within the Smithfield Hog Processing Plant, or the illustration of how the corn diet of cows leads to the evolution of E-coli, or the meat filler “cleansed with ammonia” to kill E-coli, or the faces of Washington politicians who are revealed to be lobbyists for the food industry. One face destined to be branded on the minds of viewers is that of farmer Moe Parr, whose battle with the Monsanto company over seed patents unforgettably depicts how corporate America has altered the state of farming.

Much of the film’s power comes from its human subjects, who are each given enough screen time to leave an indelible impression. Perdue Farms Grower Carole Morison emerges as the sole whistleblower among chicken house workers, as she allows cameras to observe the gruesome conditions that caused her to become fed up. Barbara Kowalcyk is both heartbreaking and inspiring as she discusses how the death of her 2-year-old son from E-coli poisoning has led to her lifelong crusade to pass “Kevin’s Law,” which gives the USDA power to shut down plants producing contaminated meat.

Polyface Farm owner Joel Salatin delivers some of the film’s most provocative lines, as he justifies his humane treatment of animals. “A culture that views a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure to be manipulated by whatever creative design that humans can foist on that critter,” argues Salatin, “will probably view individuals within its community and other cultures in the community of nations with the same type of disdain, disrespect and controlling-type mentality.”

Like Moore’s “Capitalism,” “Food, Inc.” transcends political boundaries with its subversive call to action. In a society driven by the bottom line, Kenner shows that consumer demand could even force a company like Wal-Mart to offer organic products. By proving that health is profitable, we, the people, can make sure the s—t hits the fan before it lands on our dinner tables.

“Food, Inc.” is presented in impeccable 1080p High Definition (with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio). Special features include over a half hour of equally insightful deleted scenes, and an ABC News Nightline story on how Salatin teamed up with the Mexican restaurant chain, Chipotle. The disc is BD-Live enabled, and includes links to various online resources that give a viewers a starting point to conduct their own research and discover their own inner-activist.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com