spoke digital films

NOTE: Even though much of this blog is devoted to documenting the making of my own film, I also want this to be a place where documentary filmmaking is discussed as a general matter. Regardless of how you feel about Michael Moore as a person, political entity, or filmmaker, he cannot be ignored. I personally feel that even with his flaws he has been a huge net plus for all documentary filmmakers by raising the profile of the genre. Below is a review of his newest film, SiCKO, which addresses the American health care system. I caught a sneak preview showing last night.

I’ll be the first to admit two things: 1) I am a Michael Moore fan and am always excited to see his films. 2) I find Michael Moore a sometimes troubling filmmaker. What I like about Moore is what most people like. He makes funny, entertaining films that address difficult issues through creative and humorous means. I like that his films add an edginess to discussions of policy and culture that are too often addressed in dry, somber tones. After all, when’s the last time anyone got excited by a documentary regarding health-care policy?

What I don’t always like about Moore is that he is first and foremost a propagandist. Even though I usually agree with his general assertions and politics, I sometimes think he dilutes the power of his arguments by manipulating fact and emotion too casually. I think his heart is always in the right place, but it seems he can never resist the delicious temptation of high-calorie manipulation when a helping or two of nutrient-rich, leafy green objectivity would actually strengthen his position. If he had the confidence to occasionally allow a witty and intelligent rival to joust with him or the assertions in his movies, he would sharpen his arguments, make tighter films, and neutralize what makes him an easily ridiculed target of the right. Most off-putting in Moore films is the one or two moments when he overplays the sad, puppy-dog eyes straining to embody the pain of the victimized. It usually occurs after he’s tried to shame one of the “villains” in his films but failed to get the desired outcome (see the ending of the Charlton Heston scene in Bowling for Columbine).

“Moore’s greatest charm results from a tension between the razor sharpness of his irreverent, sardonic wit and the comfortable blandness of his middle-America, everyman demeanor. Fortunately, SiCKO puts that tension front and center.”

Moore doesn’t need to convince us that he “feels the pain” of the downtrodden - we get that. His greatest charm results from a tension between the razor sharpness of his irreverent, sardonic wit and the comfortable blandness of his middle-America, everyman demeanor. Fortunately, SiCKO puts that tension front and center while serving the sanctimony in smaller doses. As a result, I find it Moore’s most compelling film to date, not to mention his funniest and most fluid.

In focusing on American healthcare, Moore did not exactly choose a controversial topic. Almost every American, regardless of background or income, has some complaint with their healthcare. At best, it is a frustrating maze of bureaucratic bloat. At worst, as SiCKO illustrates, the abject failures of American healthcare can cost life and limb due not to incompetence but to outright brazen greed. Moore wisely focuses on the horror stories of citizens who actually have health insurance rather than the almost fifty million Americans left to fend for themselves.

After introducing the audience to numerous examples of health insurance greed that inspire nothing short of rage, SiCKO contrasts U.S. healthcare with that of Canada, Great Britain, France, and (in one of Moore’s trademark rhetorical-stuntman gags) Cuba. Moore spends little time addressing the problems that might exist in these systems but, in contradiction to my earlier criticism, who cares? When compared to America’s private system, the undeniable moral (and functional) superiority of socialized medicine is so obvious that it would be an unnecessary aside to focus on their imperfections. If next year’s Super Bowl were to end in a 56-O romp by one team, would you expect sportswriters to focus on the few failed plays of the winners? To do so would miss the larger narrative. There will be plenty of time to dissect the nuances of various systems if we decide to have a meaningful health care debate in this country, but painting with broad strokes seems like a fair place to start the dialogue. This is especially true given the decades of misinformation propagated by those benefiting from America’s private system, which SiCKO also shows to hilarious effect.

The film does not always remain squarely focused on the health care of other countries but also contrasts general quality-of-life issues. This comparison is to the detriment of America and the benefit of Europe, especially (gasp) France. The film cleverly illustrates how our employer-provided American care can create indentured employees passively subservient to employers’ wills. However, it is the mandatory thirty-five hour workweek and minimum five-week vacations enjoyed by the French that might cause even the proudest American to thump his chest not in pride, but because he’s choked a bit on his “freedom fries.”

Yes, even more than any of Moore’s prior films, SiCKO serves as a broadly damning indictment of the excesses of American capitalism. But in choosing an issue that affects everyone, Moore’s populist pleas probably have a greater chance of gaining traction with Americans of all political stripes. This is underscored by Moore’s willingess to criticize politicians of any party, including an especially caustic sequence regarding Hilary Clinton’s corporate coziness.

Even for those of us who spend too much time considering how manipulated we Americans are by corporate media and insulated ignorance, SiCKO managed to quietly and gracefully distill those notions into palpable form. Given that this was a one-night sneak preview, I assume the majority in attendance were Moore fans and active lefties. Even in this crowd of seasoned cynics and skeptics, you could feel the film re-invigorate purposeful, productive outrage in those who already assume the worst from American corporatism. I admit that I, like the rest of the audience, didn’t hesitate to break into applause at the film’s end even though no one was present to receive the ovation. While Michael Moore may not be a perfect filmmaker, SiCKO is the perfect Michael Moore film.