FilmRoar

I had the rare pleasure of watching the new documentary The Corporation (2003) at an advanced screening at the 27th Portland International Film Festival with co-director Mark Achbar present. Achbar, who brought us the superb film Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992) a decade ago does a superb job of offering a new perspective on the behavior of the corporations that have come to be in control of most of our planet. The movie employs a humorous narrative and quick-image cutting to keep the audience entertained and engaged even as it delves into some of the astoundingly immoral behavior that we have come to accept, or ignore, from our corporate citizens. Early in the movie the analogy of a corporation of an individual is used to analyze corporate behavior using the DSM IV and conclude a pattern of psychopathic behavior that is hard to dismiss given later accounts of blatant harm to peoples and societies and a resolute refusal to take responsibility for the pervasive unethical behavior. While the alliagance of the documentarians lies clearly in the side of the workers solidarity and environmentalist the movie still manages to concentrate on impartial facts to move the audience towards a state of general outrage.

I believe people most likely to take the time to see this film are liberal activists which is too bad because corporate workers probably stand the most to benefit from the film. The corporation has seen limited screenings at film festivals and art houses around the united states but should enjoy a wider release starting mid-June. I highly recommend you read the release dates or keep your eye on local listings and don’t miss the chance to see this superb movie.