BLOG |
Reviewed by Emma Krom Directed by Richard Linklater, a Jeremy Thomas Production, released in 2006, running time 1:56:00 Fast Food Nationis a movie adaptation of Eric Schlosser’s riveting novel, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, concerned with exploiting the fast food industry and the dark secrets they hold. The film is produced by Jeremy Thomas and is directed by Richard Linklater. Fast Food Nationfollows Don Anderson, a fast food chain marketing representative for a fictional restaurant entitled Mickey’s, who discovers that the meat being sold to the public from his company is contaminated. There are also side-stories involving Amber, a teenager working for Mickey’s, and Sylvia, an immigrant working in the meat-packing factory. These three perspectives brilliantly showcase the struggles humans face with morality of putting the dollar before public health. As the movie proudly proclaims, “You can’t just sit back and hope, you actually have to do something.” When Anderson discovers that the meat being sold to the public has been contaminated by cow manure, he investigates the factory himself to tackle the problem his company faces. Upbeat, happy music is played as Anderson walks through the porcelain white halls with great organization displayed from the workers. Purposely omitting to show the “kill floor” to the marketing representative is a direct correlation to the public being blind to the hard facts of what exactly is in the meat produced in our fast food chains. The immediate display of the factory bosses being condescending and rude to the other workers after the public eye (Anderson in this case) is out of sight is shown many times throughout the film.
Meanwhile, a group of Mexican immigrants who have illegally crossed the border arrives in Texas and undergo nauseating, dangerous jobs at the meat-processing factory. At the same time, a teenage Mickey’s employee undergoes a turning point of her conscience when she has fallen into with a group of animal rights activists from a college nearby. Linklater is a versatile director who knows exactly how to film people in conversation.Fast Food Nationis heavy with argument, banter, and debate. The conversations are what saves the movie from turning into a blown-out lecture. Its loose flow keeps it tied to reality, while the effortless pace of the scenes and the dialogue deem the characters to classify as individuals. The desperation of humanity to get what they want under any circumstance is clearly emphasized through the characters of the film. One of Anderson’s coworkers portrays a snarky attitude and is quickly irritated with Anderson’s questioning of the contaminated meat being distributed. Amber discloses that she wishes to quit her job with Mickey’s for ethical reasons and is chastised by her boss. Sylvia is seen as weak and unworthy for wanting a job outside of the meat-packing factory. The public health is of little importance for the people in charge of the fast food industry and their complete lack of empathy towards nonhuman animals makes it incredibly easy to sympathize with the characters seeking change in the industry. There were some rather unnecessary scenes that the film could have survived without that had no impact on the issues being dealt with. The side content of Sylvia’s sexual encounter with her superior at work seemed to be used as a filler and added nothing to the story. Don Anderson’s story could have also used a better wrap-up than what was given in the post end credits. A clear wrap-up is shown, but it was very underwhelming and leaves the audience with too many questions and disappointment. Fast Food Nation will make any Big Mac lover’s stomach churn and want to revert to eating salads due to the graphic nature of this film. The intense, disturbing, and dark music is all that can be heard as the audience follows Sylvia viewing the slaughter process for the first time. The white porcelain walls are plastered with red and make for a horrifying, tear-jerking sequence. Her good intentions contradict the brutality of the severed heads speeding down the lines. Pure rage and heartbreak are prevalent in her eyes as well as the viewer. Linklater has no hesitation in expressing his discouragement in American’s attitudes towards the fast food industry. Every character's story has an ending and none of them are any greater for their efforts. Some end up where they did not want to. Some end up supporting the industry even with the knowledge they hold. Every choice was made to ensure money is continuing to roll in. Fast Food Nation is overall a remarkable and informative film that will certainly leave you steering away from the nearest McDonald’s. High school and college students along with any other adult interested in being educated in what exactly is in what the fast food they purchase would greatly benefit from watching this film. There is sex, strong language, violence, and drug use present and slaughter scenes that are not for the faint of heart. If the rest of the movie fails to move any certain individual, the last ten minutes provide deep emotion that will force one to question the morality of their purchase. Author Bio: Emma Krom is a freshman at Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in Anthropology. Being that she has lived her whole life with at least one companion animal by her side, Emma cares greatly for animals and has a passion for protecting them. Nothing gives her greater joy than nurturing the animals at her grandmother’s farm. She comes from generations of animal rights activists who inspire her to be a voice for non-human animals. Comments are closed.
|
ABOUT
This is a website about nonhuman animals, written by human animals taking a Society and Animals class at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|