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Into The Weeds: Taking Responsibility for Corporate Irresponsibility

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You know you’re in trouble when Neil Young writes an album about you.

From award-winning director Jennifer Baichwal (Watermark, Manufactured Landscapes), Into the Weeds follows Bay Area groundskeeper, Dewayne Johnson. Tasked with using herbicide to kill the area’s weeds, Johnson began to suffer rashes in 2014 that caused serious concern. As the condition continued to worsen, Johnson decided to take legal action against Monsanto, a multi-national agrochemical corporation who claimed that the chemicals he was using were safe, even though his experience proved otherwise.

From award-winning director Jennifer Baichwal, Into the Weeds is a powerful and terrifying examination of corporate irresponsibility and their willingness to cut corners for the sake of profit. Following one man’s battle against the muscle of multi-national corporation Monsanto, Baichwal keeps an unflinching eye on the facts of the trial. Whereas her filmmaking has made use of many styles over the years, Baichwal takes the opportunity with this film to follow the trial with relentless veracity. By focusing on the events of the trial Baichwal allows the viewer to feel as though they are a part of the trial itself. For example, as the viewer listens to the endless stream of testimonies from scientists and doctors that highlight Monsanto’s misconduct, the viewer feels as though they are on the jury. Given the facts and evidence, they are left to decide for themselves whether or not the corporate monster is guilty of misdeeds.

As the facts continue to mount, Weeds becomes a cry for justice, not only for Johnson but for the countless others who have been victimized by the corporate beast. As Johnson mentions more than once, this battle is not about the money. Instead, like many others, his greatest desire is for others to know the truth. This is about justice being served and the truth coming forward. 

And, of course, Johnson is not alone.

By hearing the stories of others affected by corporate corruption, Weeds emphasizes the wide spread effects of their actions. With one testimony after another, the film gives voice to victims of Monsanto who are unable to speak up for themselves. (In fact, this also inspired Young to create his scathing album, The Monsanto Years.)

However, in addition to these personal stories, Baichwal also recognizes the conversation taking place amongst indigenous peoples that highlights the interconnectedness of our world. As Monsanto strips forests for the sake of their profit, so too do they create devastation amongst the natural landscapes. From the destruction of wildlife to the elimination of oxygen-producing trees, the effects the wide-reaching effects of this travesty are shown in almost spiritual level. As the indigenous populations take notice and decry corporate action, Weeds recognizes that the destruction caused by Monsanto is far greater than the health issues of one particular person.

As a result of their recklessness, we are all put at risk as well.

As Baichwal steps back and allows the trial to reveal the truth so too does she demand accountability for corporations such as Monsanto who emphasize profit over human life. However, although Into the Weedsemphasizes the uphill battle of one small man against the corporate Goliath but it also extends far beyond the courtroom. As Monsanto’s actions impact the natural world, so too does their carelessness affect the global community as well. In this way, Baichwal understands that, while Johnson’s fight is important, the impact of its results reaches us all.

Into the Weeds is available in theatres on Friday, May 20th, 2022.

The Last Victim: Lost in the Darkness

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In the dead of night, daybreak can seem like a distant dream.

Written and directed by Naveen A. Chathapuram, The Last Victim follows Susan (Ali Larter) and Richard Orden (Tahmoh Penikett), a young couple who set out on a road trip across the American Southwest. However, their journey comes to an abrupt end when then encounter Jake (Ralph Inneson) and his crew of modern-day outlaws. Drawn in to a conflict that is not their own, Susan and Jake must flee into the wilderness with the hope of evading the death that pursues them or surviving the brutal terrain.

Led by strong performances by Larter and Inneson, The Last Victim is a surprisingly tightly written thriller that grips the viewer and rarely lets go. In Victim, Larter is at the top of her game, energetically showcasing her emotional and physical strength. At the same time, Inneson’s philosophical villain makes him infinitely watchable, unleashing his wrath in one scene and delving into the meaning of existence the next. 

Although the western genre seems to have all but died in our superhero-lade current cinematic landscape, in reality it has merely evolved in its form. Whereas the western was once used as a metaphor for broadening our horizons, its modern form seems to lean into what it takes to endure in isolation. Similar to Last Victim, films like Hell or High Water or No Country for Old Men tell stories that portray the American mid-West as a place of hopelessness and harsh realities. Gone are the days of exploration and conquest as the films give way into the barrenness and brutal conditions of the land and man’s most base sensibilities. (In fact, Victim even subverts this traditional theme by thwarting Richard and Susan’s simple wish to step out into the world just to see what’s out there.) 

The desire to explore has been replaced with a need to survive.

As a result, there is a heaviness to this film that’s pervasive from beginning to end. With a hefty emphasis on shadow, Chathapuram visually depicts a world blanketed by darkness. Covered by night, anything goes in this wasteland. For example, in one particularly powerful visual, Chathapuram fills the entire screen with an intense blackness, leaving only the lights of a distant squad car. As the small flickers of red and blue slowly disappear from view, the night sky seems to swallow up the last vestige of justice in the wilderness.

Because, in this world, hope is even further from the horizon. 

But it’s not just the heroes that seem lost in the bleakness of the land. While he remains willing to take one’s life on a whim, Jake is also trying to make sense of its meaning as well. For him, the purpose of existence is all but lost. “Meaning ain’t something you find. It’s something you make,” Jake growls. As a result, he wanders aimlessly like an animal on the prowl, looking for someone to devour. (Credit goes to Inneson here who portrays Jake with such ferocity that one can’t help but be intrigued by his brutal intentions.) This is a world of endless corruption and the only way to survive is to be the dominant beast. 

However, despite the pervasive darkness within the film, it’s possible that there are glimmers of hope by its finale. Without any spoilers, after the film’s bloody finale, the question is posed about how we live with the past, especially when it’s marred by pain and suffering. Although the film emphasizes its Darwinian mentality in the wilderness, it also speaks to the need for compassion and grace in order to truly survive. Moments such as a simple offer of a cup of coffee provide some space for light to eat away at the shadows, even when they feel endless and powerful. 

In other words, while there are times that the titular ‘last victim’ of the film seems as though it’s going to be hope itself, the flame continues to flicker.

The Last Victim is available in theatres and on VOD on Friday, May 13th, 2022.

SF Radio 8.24: Bending our Minds Around DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS

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Directed by Sam Raimi, DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS opens up the MCU in incredible (and horrifying) ways. When a new threat calls the good Doctor and his new companion, America Chavez, to jump from universe to universe, they enlist the help of Wanda Maximoff in an effort to get things under control. However, they very quickly discover that Maximoff may herself be the very threat they’re attempting to prevent from ripping apart the multiverse. This week, Dina Hamdieh and Miriam Ibrahim return to discuss the ramifications for Universe 616, the evolution of Scarlett Witch and why we care about the multiverse.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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The Last Victim – No light in the darkness

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The Last Victim, from director Naveen A. Chathapuram, is a story of bad people doing bad things and the way the evil keeps multiplying with each addition to the body count (which is pretty high). It’s styled as a neo-western, but it could easily have been an urban story of gangs.

The driving force of this evil is Jake (Ralph Ineson), who shows up at a roadside dinner in very rural New Mexico, to confront a former associate he’s tracked down to kill. Jake and his cohort will leave no witnesses (and from time to time, they need to kill off a few more).

The local sheriff (Ron Perlman) has to try to figure out just what’s happened in the diner that has lots of blood, but no bodies to be found. Along with a seemingly green young deputy, they start the investigation.

Susan (Ali Larter), a young professor is driving cross country with her husband on the way to her new teaching job in California They venture off the main road in search of a rustic picnic spot. But when they stumble upon Jake and his crew trying to bury the bodies, they too become witnesses to be eliminated. A good part of the film is Susan in the open country trying to avoid being found by Jake. All in all, of the various main characters, only two are alive at the end of the film.

For mood, Jake occasionally provides voice over that speaks to his pessimistic and misanthropic view of modern society. It’s not so much that he thinks he is noble as it is that he doesn’t fit into the world anymore and doesn’t even want to. So he takes his rage out on the world. In fact, we don’t really know what crimes have been committed prior to the film that leads up to that opening confrontation in the diner. We just know that Jake and those with him are bad guys.

The film wants to be way more philosophical than it is. The film opens with a title card of a quotation about revenge from an 17th century clergyman. But revenge isn’t what this is about. It is just about evil in a dark world. Showing the darkness of the world only can carry us so far. This is not a story of good versus evil, just evil corrupting everything it touches so that the darkness keeps spreading. There is only the faintest hint of hope at the end. And that hint is too tenuous for us to think there is any good to come out of this tale.

The Last Victim is in theaters and available of VOD.

The Duke – Being a good neighbor

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“When all is said and done, he really is a pretty good neighbor, isn’t he?”

In 1961, a Goya portrait of the Duke of Wellington was stolen from the National Gallery in London. It is the only theft that has ever occurred from the Gallery. The story of that theft and the trial of the thief can be found in The Duke, directed by Roger Michell. It is not really a caper movie; it’s a humorous character study of a bizarre man who just wants to help those in need.

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Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) is a would-be playwright with dreams of grandeur. He also has a non-conformist streak seen mainly in his battling against the TV tax that funds the BBC. He campaigns to make it free for pensioners and war veterans. He even spends a bit of time in jail for not having paid the tax.

His long-suffering and hard-working wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) supports the family as a house cleaner. She seems constantly angry at Kempton for not working and for being a spectacle with his protests. She is very concerned with what people will think. But we learn there is more to it than that. They lost a daughter many years ago. Kempton writes to work through his grief because Dorothy refuses to talk about it, or even visit her grave. That grief is really what is tearing their relationship apart.

When the government spent £140,000 to prevent the sale of the portrait of this national hero to an American collector, Kempton complains bitterly about what good things could have been done with the money, rather than just keeping a picture in a museum. Before long, Kempton makes a trip to London and next thing we know he and his loyal son Jackie are hiding the painting in the back of a wardrobe. Kempton writes letters to the newspapers demanding that the government spend the money to help people. He eventually returns to the museum to hand back the picture.

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The trial seems like it should be open and shut. At trial, Kempton charms the public and the press with his eccentric personality and his quixotic philosophy that just wants to make the world a little better place. He uses his testimony as a soapbox to speak about how we need to take care of each other. Broadbent is astounding as a man with a conscience that drives him to do outlandish things. He brings out the humor of such a man on trial for such a serious crime, yet seemingly only wanting to do more good.

There are two stories being told here, one public, the other private. The public portion involving the theft and the trial is filled with humor. Certainly this is the kind of eccentricity that seems to fit our idea of the English. But Kempton is more than just a bit odd. He stands for justice and fairness. He puts himself on the line when racism is present. And he is truly concerned that the aged and war veterans confined to their homes need TV to keep them company and shouldn’t be taxed. And he will also put himself on the line for his family when needed.

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The private story is more about Kempton and Dorothy’s struggle to deal with grief. Dorothy has built a wall around her pain in an attempt to avoid it. She refuses to let it be spoken about, so Kempton has tried to write plays that express his grief. The pain in their life is really the basis for the tension and struggle between them. In this portion, it is Mirren who carries the weight. She seems to be so strong, but we can tell that her pain is too much for her to bear.

The film helps us to think about how we depend on one another, whether in the privacy of grief, or seeking to change the world. Kempton is not just an eccentric cross between Don Quixote and Robin Hood. We want to think that we too can change the world, even if it’s just to make someone’s life a little bit better.

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Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan is about that in a much more dramatic way of thinking about what it means to be a neighbor. But The Duke is also an effective beginning to consider how we will change the world around us.

The Duke is in general release.

Photos courtesy of Sony Picture Classics.