“The World according to Monsanto” (2008) – Review #29

Also known as: “Le monde selon Monsanto” and “Controlling our food”.

Monsanto, in case anybody was in doubt, is pretty far from winning the love of the people. Former producers of Agent Orange, they now produce pesticides and Genetically Modified seeds and growth hormones. They have a horrible record and seem to leave misery and poverty in their wake.

French investigative journalist Marie-Monique Robin pulls no punches as she digs deep into Monsanto’s past and present. The result is a well-researched film about a very scary company and industry. So far, so good. Unfortunately the film is also dull. A day after first viewing and I practically forgot what I saw even though it’s possibly one of the most important subjects of our time. Personally, I don’t believe that film is a good medium to teach, but it’s a fantastic medium to touch and “The World According to Monsanto” focuses so much on being credible that it forgets to move us emotionally. If you want to be touched, watch another Monsanto-critical film, “Food Inc.”. But if you’ve seen that already and want to dig deeper, this film’s for you.

IMDB: 7.9 (400 votes) / Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (3 reviews) / Greenpeace article
Directed by: Marie-Monique Robin