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Film Reviews from World Wide Work bulletin

This is a searchable archive of movie reviews that appeared in past editions of the free emailed bulletin, World Wide Work. They appear in chronological order, from most recent to least recent.

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Dhobi Ghat. Four characters from varying economic classes in Mumbai intersect in this engaging story that tells a lot about India and a lot about the class divide anywhere.

Windfall. This timely 83-minute documentary shows the neighbor vs. neighbor controversy that developed in a small town in rural New York where wealthy outside developers wanted to install 400-foot tall windmills. Residents faced visual and noise pollution and health and safety hazards, while receiving only nominal fees from the Wall Street developers and energy companies that would profit from special tax subsidies. The punch line: wind energy is not a “green” panacea, and the only real solution to our energy problem is to use less.

Art Is…The Permanent Revolution. Some of the best-known artists of Europe such as Rembrandt, Goya, Daumier, and Picasso created graphic prints protesting war, inequality, poverty, and exploitation, and many were jailed or exiled for doing so. This unusually creative film shows some of the best protest work by 60 of them. It is accompanied by commentary by three contemporary American protest artists who also show, step by step, how they make etchings, woodcuts, and lithographs today.

Unveiled. An Iranian woman faces prosecution for having a female lover. She escapes to Germany, where life is hard for immigrants. To survive, she disguises herself as a man until a co-worker takes pity on her and slowly discovers her secrets.

The Flaw. This exceptionally well-made, 82-minute documentary about the causes of our economic crash combines expert commentary, entertaining graphics, and human interest stories. The story begins with decades of success by the 1% and corporate CEOs in driving down incomes for everyone else. How could the majority of Americans maintain their standard of living despite stagnating wages and income? By borrowing. How could the 1% and Wall Street make the most return on the wealth they were accumulating as they paid working people less? By lending it to those same working people.

Meanwhile, “Inside Job,” another excellent documentary that covers other angles about Wall Street’s destruction of the economy, is now available free online.

This Is Where We Take Our Stand. A deeply moving, must-see, hour-long documentary features young men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan talking about what they saw and how the experience changed their views. Available on DVD and also in segments online.

A Better Life. An exceptionally authentic and poignant feature film puts the audience in the shoes of a Mexican immigrant raising his son as a single father in a country that wants his labor but denies him legal status.