Food, Inc.

When I rented the documentary film Food, Inc. this weekend, I figured it to be a sort of hippie conspiracy theory on why we should eat locally-produced, organically-grown food rather than the mass-produced, genetically-modified stuff from evil corporations who are destroying the planet while profiting handsomely at our expense. And, yet, that's pretty much the gist of it, except for the fact that the portrait painted by director Robert Kenner is far darker and far more convincing than I ever imagined.

What makes political/socially-conscious filmmaking such a hit or miss business is the fact that it's difficult to make a case on an issue that you are so passionate about without bringing your own personal bias to the table. If the truth can be skewed for dramatic effect, than so be it, because the end justifies the means, right? Not exactly. Propaganda does a disservice to one's cause because it assumes that the audience are nothing more than morons and both the left and the right are equally adept at exploiting it for their benefit. Kenner's message is a sincere populist one in which both political parties equally share in the blame. I highly recommend this film to all, regardless of political affiliation.