King Corn

It seems that when someone graduates from college, has no job and no prospects, the thing to do is make a film. In King Corn, freshman filmmakers Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis move to a small town in Iowa to rent a single acre of farmland and grow corn. Their intent is to follow the path of that corn from cradle to grave. In reality, since the corn goes into a storage/distribution silo, it is impossible to trace "their corn" after harvest. So they go with the percentages and look at where most corn in general will end up. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this in spite of its many flaws. It is a soft critique of the farming and food production system in this country. Interviews with farmers suggest that none of the farmers like the system and most are frustrated with the quality of product they produce, and yet must produce to survive. In addition, they look at the history of the Farm Bill and the changes in the 70's that brought us to the status quo. These interviews along with the farming process are fascinating. However, I say it is a soft critique because the filmmakers don't really investigate the effects of the pesticide resistant "Liberty Linked" corn, don't follow the environmental effects of the beef trail (where 50% of corn is consumed), and don't follow through to the effects using high fructose corn syrup everywhere. Instead, they make suggestions and start the discussion, I suppose leaving the thinking to the viewer. Unfortunately, unless you already have done some looking into these issues (or are spurred to by the film), it ends up being a critique of the system followed by a "throwing up of the hands" and a "what can we do?". I wish they would have suggested some action further research a viewer could do. Oh well, what can you do?
3 stars (out of 5)