Reuters Logo
A Movie Guide to Occupy Wall Street
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
How did city council members, anti-capitalists, small business owners, foreclosed homeowners, indebted college students, union leaders, retired teachers, veterans, nurses, 401(k) pension holders, medical patients, pro-lifers, pro-choice advocates, twentysomethings and fiftysomethings of every race, color, and creed come together under a single banner: “We Are The 99%”?
Here’s a list of films that help explain the birth of a movement:
TOP 10 FILMS
1. Inside Job (2010) dir. Charles Ferguson, written by Charles Ferguson, Chad Beck, 108 min.: This Oscar-winning documentary from Sony Classics piles on the chronic aches and pains of Wall Street, from Lehman Brothers to AIG, mapping out the systemic corruption that causes the financial crisis to keep bleeding.
2. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) dir. Michael Moore, written by Michael Moore, 127 min.: With the U.S. subprime mortgage fiasco well under way and the casino mentality in full throttle, Moore goes door to door looking for a sound explanation of why we trust in a system that is leaving more and more people behind.
3. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011) dir. Peter Joseph, 161 min.: This non-commercial follow-up to “Zeitgeist” Parts I and II, “Moving Forward” is perhaps the most widely viewed non-profit film in history with over 10+ million views on Youtube and an international following. Tossing out all of the ‘isms’ including capitalism, socialism and communism, the film proposes something new.
4. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) dir. Alex Gibney, written by Bethany McLean, Peter Eikind, Alex Gibney, 109 min.: Obsession, compulsion, and addiction, coupled with shell companies and a high stakes game of endless profits, created the deception and fraud that ultimately drove Enron into the ground.
5. Food, Inc. (2008) dir. Robert Kenner, written by Robert Kenner, Kim Roberts, Elise Pearlstein: The “spinning of a pastoral fantasy” gets unspun in this must-watch look at the food on our dinner table and the wage slaves who bastardize it for the big companies that monetize Mother Nature.
6. 2012: Time for Change (2010) dir. Joao G. Amorim, 85 min.: Even if you’re not into shamanism or psychedelic drugs, “Time for Change” offers more than just Iboga roots to chew on.
7. The Corporation (2003) dir. Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, 145 min.: A history of the institution that dominates our lives, The Corporation examines how organizations become psychopathic.
8. A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2006) dir. Basil Gelpke, Ray McCormack, 94 min.: Peak oil may be the one elephant in the room we’re hoping the techocrats and wizards can chase away, but as this doc explains, no magic wand is that big.
9. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005) dir. Robert Greenwald, 98 min.: Wal-Mart is the poster child for an American corporation gone bad in this in-depth analysis of how the retail giant keeps prices low and profits high.
10. Casino Jack (2010) dir. Alex Gibney, written by Alex Gibney, 118 min.: Wherever money and politics meet, lobbyist Jack Abramoff leaps in through the back door, highlighting just how much the fabric of the U.S. government resembles swiss cheese.
Link to the full article: https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/08/idUS283171780220111008