"Inside Job", the Wall Street World Government

Inside Job

"The politicians do not rule the world, Goldman-Sachs in Government". These are the words of Alessio Rastani, an anonymous stock market trader until this week, when he got interviewed, in all his shameless and shameful honesty, at BBC News, shocking the world with his message. It's not the only one-liner he said that deserves to be remembered. "If you know how, you can make money off a crash!", and "in less than a year the savings will be gone for millions of people without that neither markets nor governments can do anything" are painstakingly examples of what and who leads of the world these days. His position, attitude, words and message are the best summary of "Inside Job", a film that dissects how and who put the world into the economic crisis we are facing. Welcome to the Wall Street World Government.

Director Charles Ferguson, who won the best documentary award at the Oscars, divides the film in a five episodes structure to analyse all sides to take the closest look at what brought about the financial meltdown. The idea and aim is excellent, as we have a comprehensive and very detailed analysis, but the episodes are seriously unbalanced.

After a very good start with the background of the recession in which we go to Iceland before setting the movie at the United States, we move into episodes 2 and 3, where the crisis is carefully explained...with too many facts, numbers and graphics. Don't get me wrong, a serious documentary must inform and give facts, but in my opinion, there's too much and too fast in the film. I have serious concerns about if "Inside Job" can connect with the general audience and not just the people already interested. Worse, I'm among "the already interested" and I admit some of the information provided wasn't fully assimilated, and that I missed some analysis on the role of international institutions (if any) or a wider scope (not just the States). In the other hand, watching the film should be mandatory at schools. Its a documentary that requires to be studied, not just watched.

On the contrary, chapter 4, "Accountability", has to be highlighted on its own. Brilliant from start to finish, offers a side of the crisis completely overlooked. The role of education and economic schools in which politicians, corporations and the markets find their ideological support that seems to have the power to justify that deregulation, bank rescues or lately, cuts on social services, are necessary for the good of economy. "Inside Job" reveals, thanks to sharp and smart interviews, that is a lie. Education has been as corrupted, hypocrite and selfish as banks and politicians, and therefore they are responsible of that crisis as well.

The final chapter "Where are we now" is the other standout moment of "Inside Job". Without any political bias, Ferguson points out how the Obama administration is almost entirely composed by the same people that was behind the crisis, whether in previous political or corporative positions. So you can easily guess what's the conclusion. On the not so good side, there's a slight outburst at the very end of the film, losing part of its remarkable objectivity until that point.

"Why should a financial engineer be paid four times to 100 times more than a real engineer? A real engineer build bridges. A financial engineer build dreams. And, you know, when those dreams turn out to be nightmares, other people pay for it". The words of Andrew Sheng are the best summary of the crisis, so I will save you some time skipping the rants and insults I'm tempted to utter. In what regards to "Inside Job", I believe is a must-see. My suggestion would be to combine it with Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story", as together they provide a complete and powerful picture. Moore is more focused on the people affected by the crisis, the human side, and as it less dense in the explanation of the crisis, while Ferguson's is more objective and informative. Hey! At least there's one thing we have to thank the crisis for. Some filmmakers have been moved to direct great and insightful movies about it.

SCORE: 6,75/10

"Capitalism: A Love Story", the criminals of today are ruling corporations

Capitalism: A Love Story

First, the flaws. "Capitalism" is the longest movie to date from Michael Moore, and in what regards to rythym and dynamism is probably his weakest, something that is partially understandable considering he is trying to explain world and American finances, and the consequences for the regular citizens. Besides, I wasn't particularly fond of some mixtures between some jokes or funny/cynical comments just a frame after or before he puts us in front of a dramatic personal story. I know he is trying to create an effect, but goes too far a couple of times in the film.

Having said that, let's move to the triumphs. I don't need anyone to tell me America, as it is Europe, and of course Spain, is wildly corrupted, and that we are all serving a system devoted to create a ridiculous amount of richness among the ones that are already rich. But I praise Moore for having the guts of pointing the names of the criminals and the amount of their crimes so openly in here. Osama Bin Laden might be dead, but I don't think the world has lost its most dangerous enemy yet. Greed is the enemy, and it usually has the form of a suit-and-tie, highly educated and trained CEO financial expert, or a highly incompetent or vile politician.

In a way, the idea of the film is far from being original. "Capitalism" goes back to the desolate territory he explored 20 years ago with the poignant and compelling "Roger & Me" and that he has been examining throughout his career. How corporate America dominates the country (and the world) and ruins it systematically. But now he takes the issue globally.

There are many horrifying scenes and information on the film that makes you wonder why Americans still believe they live in a democracy. Then you look at what the European Union is doing with migrants, or better say, with political refugees from Tunisia, or what Spain and Catalonia is doing with banks/corporations instead of investing public health or education and you can easily ask the same question to you. "Dead Peasants" insurance policies, wild evictions, atrocious juvenile detentions just for the sake of making more money, while tax reductions and increasing benefits for CEOs and corrupted politicians are common practices. But they want more, their greediness is so huge they go too far and the bubble explodes, so they ask the State they are ruining for a rescue. And they succeed. Oh by the way, does it sound you, European Union? Does it sound you, Valencia, Andalusia, Madrid, Mr. Millet, Santa Coloma, and a long, depressing etc.?

But while "Roger & Me" left you in complete desolation, Moore wants the Americans (and the rest of the world please) to raise against it. To say no. And he does it by explaining them the turning point towards disaster dates from a concrete period, the Reagan era, not so long ago. And he does it showing us that with political will (the speech of Marcy Kaptur, the Ohio Congresswoman, against the bank rescue of 2008 at the House of Representatives should be seen by every American and every person who has lost his/her belief in politics), with knowledge, and with union (the strikes, the cooperative examples are compelling), there are options.

I just wish we could find someone comparable to Moore in Spain. We definitely need someone like him. We need to get indignant, to react, to reclaim our rights, to revolt, that's his message. I couldn't agree more. It might not be the most perfect of documentaries, but can't imagine of a more necessary one.

SCORE: 7/10