“The French (Organic) Revolution”
Year: 2008
Genre: Documentary
Country: France
Language: French w/ English subtitles
Starring: A bunch of scientists, politicians and kids
Director: Jean-Paul Jaud
Run time: 112 minutes
DVD distributor: First Run Features
Related reviews: The Future of Food, The World According To Monsanto, Killer at Large, Food, Inc.
The biggest flaw in Food Beware, out November 17th from First Run Features, is that it is boring. Which is sort of apt, because it’s a movie about feeding kids salad instead of the more-exciting three-Oreo lunch that they normally eat. A good idea, to be sure. And this film is full of good ideas. They are just presented in the most boring way possible. Some of the good points this movie makes – rates of cancer, diabetes and other diseases are on the rise in Europe. Much of this can be directly linked to environmental problems, pollution and of course the food they eat. For the first time in history, children are less healthy than their parents are. And there are many people who are concerned, and there is a chance we can fix this.
That’s about it. The film focuses on a small town in France where the menu at the school cafeteria has been changed. No longer will kids be eating the standard cafeteria stuff – tater tots and sloppy joes and so forth. Now, the school will be serving only organic food, grown locally. The kids are educated about the food they consume, and in some cases they participate in the planting, growing and cultivation of that food. All of this is good. It’s even interesting, for a while. But it goes on way, way too long. And watching the kids sing songs about pollution and organic food and saving the world is vaguely creepy. And unnecessary.
I really like the message in this film. But it’s one I’ve seen in Food, Inc, The Future of Food, The World According To Monsanto, Killer at Large, and many others. Food Beware is specifically interesting, because it focuses on a specific village with a specific program, and there is something new there. I like it for that reason, and that reason alone. Because overall, Food Beware is a movie that gives me hope. But it takes two hours to do so and by the end of the movie I was more bored than I was inspired. I like the message, but once again there are many other places to get it – most are more entertaining.