Food, Inc.

Made the trek to see FOOD, INC. this past weekend, and was pleasantly surprised to find the theater about half full on a Sunday afternoon. Granted, it was 105 outside, making the cool of the theater even that much more appealing. But given the comments, boos, and applause over the course of the film, it's safe to say the audience was an enthusiastic one.

Having been an early and avid reader of both Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, I wasn't too surprised at a lot of the information in the film. And despite what reviewers have been saying, the graphic footage from the CAFOs and kill floors isn't nearly as bad is it could have been. Overall the tone was only gently alarmist; everyone who spoke onscreen seemed credible, and even the mother of the 2 year old who died from E-coli poisoning managed to seem like she had a sense of humor. Stylistically, it was reminiscent of Super Size Me, with very slick graphics (the opening title sequence is especially nice).

Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser are onscreen a lot, but they share time with the farmer Pollan profiles in TOD, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Virginia. It's Salatin who provides the most philosophical contributions to the conversation, pointing out that a culture that treats its animals so inhumanely most likely has the same approach to its own citizens, and peoples from other countries.

At the end of the film, there is a text-only sequence listing actions that we as consumers can take to make change to the system, and overall the message seems to be one of power to the consumer. Since it's a Participant Productions film, the website is full of info as well and activism is fully integrated into the release strategy. I sat through the credit sequence and as the lights came on, the group of four young women (about my age) were still sitting in my row, debating whether or not it's really possible to eat healthily on a minimum wage. I hope the film sparks many such debates. Who knows what can come of it?