“Wal*Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices”
I finally managed to watch Wal*Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices, a documentary I have been very interested in seeing since the moment it was released.
If you follow this blog regularly, I am sure you are familiar with how much I adore Wal*Mart. However, and in spite of my very strong feelings about the company and my excitement about finally having a chance to see the documentary, I found the film to be somewhat flat and not as powerful as I expected. I attribute some of my lackluster reaction to my high expectations, but the remaining majority to how the film was made.
I am not sure what would constitute an “avid documentary fan,” but the moniker sounds comfortable so I’ll gladly refer to myself as such. Accordingly, I tend to judge documentaries primarily on their ability to convey and present their central message with strong logic, ample support, and an emotional connection to the viewer. I consider a documentary to be great if it manages to present a complex and volatile issue to a skeptical user, and through all of the mechanisms of filmmaking, convince the viewer to strongly consider the filmmaker’s viewpoint. The Corporation sticks out in my mind as film that, despite its strong bias, clearly presented its case and would compel all but the most skeptical to consider its central message.
Bias and an apparent lack of effort at impartiality are where Wal*Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices fall short. The film is highly emotionally charged, containing a number of personal stories and shocking statistics (all of which are quite damning to Wal*Mart), and touches on the many areas Wal*Mart seems to excel at being sleazy: Aggressive business tactics, anti-union efforts, environmental issues, human rights issues, gender and racial discrimination, and more.
To be sure, as someone who loathes Wal*Mart, I found all of the information presented (the “facts”) to be in line with what I already know about the company. In that regard the film is quite effective at reinforcing an existing anti-Wal*Mart view. To the skeptic, though, the film most assuredly presents itself as highly one-sided and unfair. Statistics are presented in a manner to shock (they do, whether they are presented in such a manner or not), just as the personal stories are told to rile up emotions and pull at viewer’s heart strings.
I found myself continually wondering if they were pushing too hard. If the film turns off skeptics before they have a chance to make it to the end, or in a manner as to discount the validity of the whole film (due to its dripping bias), can it truly be called “effective” or labeled a “great documentary”?
Personally, I think not. I think the film could have reached a much larger audience if it were framed with a less obvious bias and far fewer “shock” elements (such as the spinning headlines). I would be interested to hear what staunch Wal*Mart supporters think of the film as I am confident that the majority will quickly brush it off. Likewise, I am similarly interested to hear what the anti-Wal*Mart crowd thinks of the film. Were your reactions similar to mine? Were you obviously disgusted by everything the company has done as the film presented each scenario, yet constantly wondering if the documentary was trying too hard?
Despite my criticisms of the film, I would still recommend that everyone see it. There is the possibility that I was simply in a overly-critical mood last night and would have had the same response to any film, good or bad. Further, the statistics and facts the film presents are both true and shocking. While the film may not do the best job of presenting and disputing the counterpoints critics would raise, that shouldn’t prevent the curious viewer from watching the film.
If you have seen the film (or when you do), I would love to hear your reaction.
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