Review by Cameron Maitland.

The simple choice for Florian Opitz when making The Big Sellout—a film scrutinizing privatization all over the world—would have been to follow his multiple subjects and show the massive problems privatization has caused. In South Africa the elderly lose power; in the Philippines a boy is dying without dialysis; in Britain trains crash because nobody cares; and in Bolivia the government is trying to control rainwater. This would have made a compelling enough film in and of itself. Luckily for viewers though, Opitz crafts a film that not only involves the what’s of privatization but also includes both why it has come about and how we might successfully combat it.

Opitz employs not just the informed words and ideologies of those fighting privatization but also the words of Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who used to work for one of the bad-guys in the film, the World Bank. In fact, Opitz gives just as much time to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as he does to his other subjects, realizing that allowing both sides of the story will only help convince viewers that privatization is generally a bad idea for the developing world. What can be applauded most though is Opitz' focus on how people have overcome these problems through strikes, protests and guerrilla tactics. Most documentaries are willing to show problems but not take the time to give solutions. His choice to include one story with a happy ending could have ruined the tone of the film, but instead this story acts as a rallying call.

The Big Sellout is by no means a great artistic achievement and doesn’t introduce any new ideas to the documentary form, but, in doing so, the film proves that compelling subject matter is all one needs to make a good documentary. By utilizing interesting subjects, allowing all the perspectives to be heard, showing an informed opinion and including solutions, Opitz makes a solid documentary but even more importantly, a fantastic jumping off for his point of view on this issue.

The Big Sellout
Florian Opitz | Germany | 2006 | 94min

Sun. Oct. 7 | 10:45am | VanCity Theatre
Mon. Oct. 8 | 7:15pm | Empire Granville Theatre
Wed. Oct. 10 | 4:15pm | Empire Granville Theatre