Movie – Where to Invade Next
The latest documentary from Michael Moore has him trampling through Europe (and bizarrely Tunisia) to steal ideas and take them back to America to claim as their own. It’s hilarious, informative, though provoking but in the end, for me, sad but still inspiring.He starts in Italy where he learns of their paternity leave and lovely long holidays which appear luxurious to any American who'll receive two weeks maximum when they've progressed in their career, if they’re lucky, as a perk.Then onto France where we hear about the positivity of sex education and the excellent food served in schools. It’s at this point when I hope he hasn’t come to the UK as actually, for all our pride in the NHS and social services, we are tragically close to America in our outlook.Thankfully he didn’t and in the Q&A afterwards, his correct response to this is sadly, there isn’t much to learn here.Instead we go onto Norway to discuss the abolition of the death penalty and rehabilitation of prisoners.. The prison service and the way we (don't) re-habilitate in the UK is something close to my heart. One of the three areas where we need to improve as a of society that drives me. Even I had to take a breath and learn something new when I hear that some of these featured prisoners have committed very serious crimes.What takes my eyes away from the screen is one too many film clips of awful, heart-breaking inhumane treatment of (just) black prisoners in the USA. It’s hard to believe this is still going in 2016, under Obama’s watch. While I’m under no illusion it happens here in the UK too, it’s to a much lower degree and we’re not a racist nation.In Germany, we see people talk about the work/life balance and I recall hiring a German PA several years ago who was close to ending her four years of maternity leave and looking to come to work in the UK.In Portugal we listen to why they no longer arrest people for drugs; wouldn’t that change how many (black) people are in prison in the USA? This issue was mentioned a number of times, each time the film cutting to a clip of a black prisoner being mistreated and one that I read about recently, finally being release from jail after 39 years of wrongful imprisonment after just one eye-witness account. Even Mandela didn’t get that long and he actually did break the law.I wonder where they got all the clips from?It’s long for a documentary and I had to miss out on the opening game of this year’s Euro finals as this was the only time it was screened in the mainstream (cheapest) cinema. So it’s a shame the live Q&A with the maker afterwards didn’t concentrate on quick fire question from the audience. Less banter would have made that possible.
In conclusion, it has mentioned things are too complicated to change.
My view: 'too complicated' the most dangerous words (to stop progress)
7½/10