Life and Debt (2001) User Reviews

This is "why they hate us"

[w00f · 8/10 · 6 September 2003]

For anyone who wonders "why they hate us," watch this documentary and the mystery will be solved. It thoroughly documents how the US, the WTO, and the IMF have systematically destroyed every aspect of Jamaican economic opportunity and culture.

The US didn't abolish slavery in the 19th century; they simply outsourced it. Take a look inside the Kingston Free Zone and you'll see the slaves still at work. Visit a Jamaican banana plantation and learn about how the economy of a sovereign nation was subjugated in the name of "free trade."

In short, fellow fat Americans, pull your heads out of your globalizing butts and watch this film, and then try -- for just a moment, at least -- to put yourself on the other side of the coin. Imagine how you would feel about a foreign agency that took away your livelihood, that treated you like chattel, that demanded you stop making a living so that a transnational corporation could capture the last 5% of a market share.

Wouldn't you hate them, too?

A colorful whining documentary

[=G= · 6/10 · 19 June 2005]

"Life & Debt" takes you past the tourist facade and into the economic woes of Jamaica with a mosaic of snippets of everything from tourists to politicians to planter/growers to international pundits and more in an attempt to show the ill effects of the process of globalization on the island nation. Unfortunately the film does little more than ask questions and illustrate the same problems which beset most of the third world while offering no solutions and pointing the finger of blame in the same direction everyone else points it, at the World Bank and IMF. The film doesn't identify the people being interviewed by name or title; offers no sense of governmental structure; avoids statistics, charts, maps, etc.; posits no plan for the future; and seems to do little more than complain. Failing to make a case for Jamaica, whose woes pale compared to Africa, "Life and Debt" comes off as a sort of plaintive cursory examination of the decline of Jamaica's economy which is, in the global scheme of things, of little consequence or significance. Should work best for those with a particular interest in Jamaica. (C+)

Informative and Important Documentary

[harry-76 · 10/10 · 29 May 2002]

"Life and Debt" documents the extremely negative effects "globalization" has on the Jamaican economny and agriculture. Juxtaposing typical tourist views with searingly challenging economic conditions of Jamaican natives, the audience begins to see a side of this culture normally hidden away.

Hearing representatives from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank talk, one recognizes the familiar rhetoric--administrative jargon which obscures its callous action: look out for one's self first and foremost.

Well-known US companies are documented here as part of the problem. Their motivation is to make a profit, period, no matter at what cost or human price.

American stockholders tend here to look at and be primarily concerned with how many points their shares rise--"Life and Debt" shows the downside of that rise. There's a lot more to life than merely being concerned about one's self. This film cries out for us to hear the needy call of our planetary brother and sister.

Capitalism and competition tend to be cold animals--and one buys into those concepts because they're in place and operating . . . never stopping to think that there may be an exploitative side to these activities.

Stephanie Black captures that side in this documentary. The tourists are rightly there to have a good time, yet we cannot turn our backs on our neighbors. Imposing grossly high interest rates and stipulations that cause them to sink greater into debt each year is not aiding them. Unloosing our subsidized powered milk on their marketplace while their unsold whole milk must be poured down the drain is not being fair.

When rioters and demonstrators took to the streets there and in the US against globalization, I wondered what it was all about. "Life and Debt" helped provide a subsantive explanation. The film is not an entertainment: it is a serious, thought-provoking film to inform.

As I sat in a near-empty movie house, with some people leaving before the end of the film, I wondered where was the audience? I thought, are we not all involved in this scenario? When we buy items "assembled in" Jamaica, do we really realize what that means in terms of "free zone?"

When we delight in paying very low prices for items made in China, Japan, Mexico, and the like, how does that really impact upon those countries' workers? "Life and Debt" helps provide an answer.

I very much value this documentary, and look forward to obtaining the dvd when released, to further ponder world economic check and balances and rethink the entire concept of "globalization."

Beyond the luxury hotels is the human impact

[howard.schumann · 3 February 2003]

This is the Jamaica the tourists see, says the narrator in Stephanie Black's documentary Life and Debt, a country of lush jungles, clear blue water, and sandy beaches. Beyond the luxury hotels, however, is a third world country fighting poverty, crime, and hopelessness. Based on the novel by Jamaica Kincaid A Small Place, Life and Debt, the film studies the effects of the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on the economy of Jamaica, focusing on the impact of economic globalization on the dairy farmers and factory workers. Backed by a soundtrack of native reggae music, Life and Debt is filled with economic facts that require some knowledge to fully understand. You don't need a master's degree in Economics, however, to understand the desperate faces of children in poverty, the agony of farmers who can't sell their crops, or the hopelessness of factory workers who earn the equivalent of thirty US dollars per week.

Black interviews former Prime Minister Michael Manley who explains how the current situation came to be. When Jamaica achieved its independence in 1962 after being a colony of Great Britain for 400 years, help was needed to build its economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank gladly supplied this money in the form of short-term loans. These loans though came with strings attached. Subsidies to local farmers were prohibited and tariff barriers were lowered to allow cheap foreign goods to come into the country, inevitably driving local industries out of business. What's remains is tourism, sweatshops and fast-food chains. Manley blames the big Western powers that have used Jamaica for cheap labor and easy sales. For example, thanks to huge subsidies other countries including the United States exported powdered milk to Jamaica at an excessively low price, forcing the local dairy industry to shut down. He also points out that big American businesses like Chiquita, Dole, and Del Monte have worked to stifle exports of local Jamaican bananas. Manley asks of the IMF, "You ask, 'In who's interest? I ask, 'Who set it up?"

Watching this documentary, it became clearer to me why thousands of people took to the streets in Seattle to protest the WTO Conference. It may not be widely known but the WTO has established ground rules that make it easier for the developed countries to market their products in third world countries. Under WTO rules,

1. Governments are not allowed to pass laws that favor local firms and discriminate against foreign-owned corporations.

2. Governments are not allowed to prevent foreign nationals from buying a controlling interest in local companies.

3. Governments are not allowed to subsidize domestic companies.

4. Governments are not allowed to pass laws that would provide favorable terms of trade to particular trading partners.

Ralph Nader said it all when he described globalization as being the subordination of human rights, environmental rights, and consumer rights. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank now own almost every facet of the Jamaican economy and the only ones that are making money are franchises like McDonalds, Wendy's, and Burger King who contribute little more than unskilled low paying service jobs. If you are thinking about asking the IMF to change its policies, keep in mind that any change in IMF policy requires an 80% approval and the richest nations such as the United States, Western Europe, Japan make up more than 80% of the vote. Life and Debt, like the recent film Bowling for Columbine, is one-sided, in your face, and may appeal only to those already in agreement. However, its images are so vivid that, for the first time, you may experience the human impact of policies that can turn the world into "one big casino".

the foibles of globalization

[neoteny · 10/10 · 4 February 2002]

This documentary perfectly captures the largely-ignored downside to globalization and the subsequent domination of the world economy by the U.S. and Western Europe. Namely, that undeveloped and developing countries continue to get poorer at the expense of the rich. This documentary presents the human side for discussions about the impact of multinational corporations on human rights abuses, price fixing in order to drive local competition into failure, environmental destruction as the result of World Bank-mandated "structural adjustments," etc. This is a must see for anyone who thinks that globalization is the only way for developing countries to compete with the rest of the world, and for anyone wanting to know the reasons behind all of those protests.

Read it and weep, globalization supporters.

[James B. · 10/10 · 17 October 2001]

This is a really tragic and shattering film. I saw it a few days ago in New York at a lower East side cinema. It is a very honest and yet artistically distinguished portrait of the demise of a Caribbean nation - Jamaica. Interspersed with the cold, hard facts of how the international community has loaned the country money at predatory interest rates, and then dumped products on Jamaica's undeveloped markets, thus destroying native industries, are scenes of tourists enjoying Jamaica's bounties, oblivious to the nature of the natives' distress.

The woman who made this film narrates it herself, and she wrote a book on the subject before she made this film. So her credentials for knowledge about the subject are very strong. She employs a few cinematic flourishes, such as the blurred-edge-of-screen effect when she shows poor Jamaicans digging about in a garbage dump. The soundtrack is replete with great reggae songs, including the potent and topical title track.

Basically, this film is more important in its 90 minutes than about a hundred typically vapid Hollywood productions stacked back to back. This film teaches you something about the world - about the exploitation of the weak, about the myth of the "helping" nature of the IMF and the World Bank, and about the everyday lives of desperately poor third world people. All proponents of "globalization" should see this film, and then be required to defend their views to the people who have been victimized by globalization's cruel and relentless march. Similarly, everyone who works for the major media in the US should see this, and should be ashamed of themselves for defending the policies that have contributed to the downfall of a proud and beautiful people such as those of Jamaica. And silence is the major defense employed on behalf of such policies.

Excellent Movie!!

[latanyawjohnson · 10/10 · 30 March 2002]

I am actually waiting for this movie to become available on VHS. It would tie in perfectly with what I teach in my political economy class.

The movie clearly explains how rich countries can dominate poorer ones. It also causes one to re-think capitalism, competition and the "invisible hand."

This is the kind of great documentary that never wins an Oscar

[grandenchilada · 10/10 · 12 July 2001]

And it's a pity because it deserves it. Have you ever wondered where your bananas come from? You may never feel snug and comfy buying your cheap GAP t-shirts ever again after watching this amazing film. This is a mordant and devastating documentary, beautifully shot, about the obscene unfairness of "free trade". Learn about the bully tactics that the US employs against underdeveloped countries to protect its interests. See how thousands of gallons of fresh milk have to be spilled into the Jamaican ground because of cheap powdered milk coming in from the States. See this movie and weep.

Fails Economics 101 but yet treats you like the moron.

[LydiaOLydia · 2/10 · 6 June 2007]

Given the gushingly positive reviews this movie has received elsewhere on IMDb, given the negative review I am about to give it must be clear that I must be some pro-big business evil white capitalist who probably drives a Hummer and kills baby seals for fun, right?

No, not really. I am actually rather skeptical of many globalization's claims, specifically how they relate to income distribution. However, apparently unlike many of other commenters, I actually know a thing or two about economics and refuse to be swayed by the emotionally strong but intellectually bankrupt arguments that, for the most part, this movie consists of.

Here's a basic summary of the movie: 1. Jamaica is straddled with significant debts to the IMF (the movie states US $7b) 2. The IMF is a mechanism created by rich white countries to keep poor dark countries poor. 3. As a tourist, you will ignorantly go to Jamaica and enjoy your time. All the while, most of the money you spend will go back to foreign corporations. The Jamaicans will smile at you as they serve you, but secretly they mostly hate you, or at least what you represent and are doing to their country.

Overlay this theme with somber reggae music and implications of racism and you have a story that would make the ignorant want to join the ranks of the Molotov cocktail at any given G8 summit.

Unfortunately, it's pretty much complete nonsense.

For example, one thing that this movie states is that the IMF (or some other international boogeyman) forced Jamaica to devalue its currency out of some evil plot to economically enslave Jamaicans. The reality is that the previously artificially high Jamaican currency served only the Jamaican elite – the IMF's insistence that the Jamaican currency actually be subject to market forces (as part of a structural adjustment program associated with the IMF loans that were intended to keep Jamaica from slipping back into the fiscal irresponsibility that got it into the position of needing to take loans in the first place) ensures that the country remain an attractive destination for tourist dollars and gives strength to its export businesses.

Let's not forget: Jamaica is a beautiful country that can generate money through tourism pretty much as easily as Arab countries can pull oil from the ground. Jamaica had benefited from generally moderate and reasonable colonial rule and has had no significant conflicts since. It sits within enviable flight time from the wealthy USA and enjoys status as a destination for Europeans as well due to its historical ties. Its people, culture, and music are generally seen in a positive light. In short, Jamaicans are very lucky indeed compared to, say, Haitians.

And so the movie goes on and on. Look at the poor Jamaicans. You are a stupid and fat tourist. Don't you even consider when you flush the toilet in your hotel that some of the waste goes into the same ocean that used to bring slaves from Africa? (Yes, this is actually what the movie pretty much says at some point – the point of "you Jamaican – since you inherited a sound governmental and educational system from Great Britain, why can't you set up proper laws to prevent this if you are so concerned?" is nowhere to be found.)

In short, according to this movie everything that happens bad to Jamaica is not Jamaica's fault. Its America's fault that Jamaica's farmers use inefficient and ancient farming methods to the point where they can't even compete with imported food even given the Jamaican currency weakness and relative ease of transport. Large foreign businesses are evil because they both set up shop there to "exploit" local Jamaicans by giving them jobs, and then by pull out when corruption and inefficiency make them unprofitable.

Jamaica has relatively high literacy (partly a colonial legacy). It also has high levels of fundamentalist religiosity and substance abuse – two factors that the film doesn't really go into, since, well, that would be far harder than just pointing fingers.

I feel sorry for the people of Jamaica. Theirs is no easy life. But, to put the blame on tourists and the IMF, arguably the two things that are actually keeping the country afloat and not disintegrating into Haiti, is perverse. Don't fall for this movie's propaganda.

very powerful and interesting !

[elnara11 · 10/10 · 26 February 2005]

The movie makes you think and question the motives of rich and powerful organizations. If you care at least a little bit about what's happening in the world, you should definitely take the time to see this movie. It talks about the negative effects of globalization in developing countries. Perfect example of "the rich are getting richer because the poor are getting poorer." Shows the social implications of IMF policies and the human tragedy, Economic strangling of developing countries, total dominance over them financially, abuse of power, leaving no other choice but to agree to the terrible terms of big organizations. Many ordinary workers speak up.

Great movie !

Lots of painful accuracy

[griffjon · 7 February 2003]

As a development worker in Jamaica, I can say that there is a lot of painful accuracy in the movie. Yes, tourists do act that badly, almost unanimously if you only count the ones who spend their time here locked away in a guarded resort. And now over half of ever tax dollar goes to paying foreign debt...

Great insight to the upheavals in Jamaica since 1970's

[jasc07 · 10/10 · 29 May 2005]

To suggest that Jamaicans are stupid enough to hate the one huge source of Revenue left open to them for economic survival - the American - tourist - suggests Jamaicans are only capable of Knee-jerk analysis.

Crucially, people go on holiday to largely experience a different cultural environment. When you return from holiday, how boring it would be to tell someone about what you experienced, if it is no different from a holiday you could have had in another part of the U.S.A/Canada/Europe etc.. Decimating cultures and economies outside of the U.S.A. and still expect to have a lovely, exhilarating and refreshing holiday seems to be contradictory. If the bullying persists unchecked, eventually there is no other life experience except a U.S.A one. At what point in this farce do the major commercial and political forces in the USA/Europe etc. take responsibility for their actions, think they have gone too far, and seek to help repair some of the damage caused by their actions. This does not even take into account the money "they" made from the "african slave trade". Why is it acceptable for the "Jews" to discuss the recent past "holocast" and "bondage" in Egypt (centries ago), but "Africans in The West" must not mention how they have been ripped off for 500+ years, and "what about reparations" - just like the Jewish people after "World War Two".

The fact is this film shows what actually happened to Jamaica, and who were the "Players" in attacking an essentially defenceless people. With a Socialist Government in Jamaica being hammered by the enormous hike in oil prices and the huge cost of training doctors, engineers etc. to keep the country going in the 1970's - while these same essential key workers were continually enticed to North America, the Jamaican Government tried to be neighbourly with its neighbour Cuba - mutual interest (only 80 miles away). The bilateral assistance, as I understand it was for Jamaica to help Cuba develop its Tourist industry, and Cuba help out with essential skilled people (doctors, engineers etc.). No rational Jamaican could ever contemplate THE PEOPLE ever accepting a Totalitarian state in Jamaica, if they ever understood the lasting legacy of the "Slave Trade in Jamaica". USA power brokers did not see it this way and chose to decimate the Jamaican economy. Can the definition of freedom really be restricted to acting as a mimic of a citizen of U.S.A.?

As pragmatic people Jamaicans continue to find ways to progress. Unfortunately with the introduction of foreign "organised crime/state secret services" (1970's)to ensure the toppling of the Jamaican Socialist government, Jamaican criminals were trained in "cocain" trafficking, mechanics of illegal gun purchase and use etc., hence the current so-called "Yardies". The more socialist of the two main political parties has been entrusted with governing Jamaica for more than the last two terms showing who the people trust more to guide their country, despite the hardships.

The fraud exposed in this film is that USA can still choose to be an honourable "Big Brother" to Jamiaca, Cuba, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad, Brazil, Chile, Venezuala, etc., etc.; without appearing to act as a loutish bully with no honest stance towards democracy.

What is the point preaching NO GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES as acceptable, while hugely subsidising USA Agri-business (especially milk - see film comments). The world is asking USA to grow up and stop making itself look like it is a pirate nation that is so morally bankrupt it does not believe it matters that smaller countries see it as a bunch of LIARS. This film tries to encourage USA to see that there is an alternative - an honest, honourable one.

This film shows that we the Jamaicans still offer the hand of friendship to our American neighbours, and as demonstrated by Colin Powel (Jamaican upbringing and ethics) have a basic decency which can, when allowed to grow naturally MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL OF US. USA promoting organised crime has once again caused problems for all of us.

A previous contributer made one sensible comment - why should a USA agri-business need to smash the remaining 5% of business in other countries producing economic refugees and the expansion of organised crime cartels smuggling people to hidden economies in "Developed Economies" - Europe and North America? Why promote getting rid of stable governments to produce more refugees? More piracy ? To cream off the highly trained professionals, business brains,etc. to the USA economy? The small countries then have to borrow more money (from USA, "World Bank" etc.) to train more professionals just to keep the country going. The USA institutions that these people go to work for would happily pay (minimal) compensation if the USA Government insisted on them honouring their moral obligations.

The film asks the question - "Is there a sensible point to perpetuating such a USA Foreign policy?" Jamaicans wish sense to prevail -THE POINT OF THE FILM.

It is still a mystery to most Jamaicans why some USA business leaders appear to be more interested in excess CONTROL of other peoples economies, culture, views etc. rather than mutual benefit - exchange of ideas - bilateral trade - mutual growth. Do they really believe the summit of human existence is the "American Dream". But if you do not live in America (USA) would you not have the "Jamaican Dream", the "French Dream", the "South African Dream", the Russian Dream", the Chinese Dream", the "Irish Dream", the "Chilean Dream", the "Cuban Dream", the "Iranian Dream", the "United Nations Dream" etc. etc. On what basis does the "American Dream" have to be foisted on the weaker nations, where only a one-sided dialogue is acceptable?

Don't these "power brokers" get bored talking to themselves?

The destructive nature of "Foreign Aid".

[exttraspecial · 10/10 · 9 December 2022]

This socially conscious film tells a disturbing story about a poor nation, Jamaica, but I get a feeling that it could be about any so called third world country that is duped to make a deal with the devil. The devil being wealthy and powerful nations (eq. The USA) who are in cahoots with the IMF. That human beings can be so destructive to one and other is shocking. It is difficult to reconcile the level of corruption in the name of foreign aid that has gone wildly off the rails. That the film is a documentary makes it all the more devastating.

There's a lot to process here and viewers should draw their own conclusions. But this is a serious film that will get under your skin and it will haunt you for a long, long time to come.

Misinformed and emotionally-charged

[benluttrell · 1/10 · 21 December 2011]

As the gushing reviews on this site attest - this documentary panders to the anti- globalisation, protectionist conspiracy theorists, using emotionally-charged but intellectually challenged arguments that fits their narrow, misinformed view of the world.

While the story of Jamaica is very sad, the argument that Jamaica's devalued currency and removal of tariffs and subsidies is the cause of its failed economy are not only absurd, but threatening in times of low global economic growth (look up the events of 1929, and see how this short-sighted economic policy resulted in a contagious disaster).

If Jamaica wants to turn back time to the agricultural-age, well that's fine, but you can't moan in the same breath about a lack of health, education and basic infrastructure.

In short this documentary completely misses the point. The key to Jamaica's economic prosperity is turning around its woeful productivity, encouraging foreign direct investment (and with it the innovation and technology that will modernise its industry) and committing to economic reform to liberalise its markets and promote fiscal responsibility. Without properly addressing the first point, however, this task will always be an enormous challenge.

Instead, this documentary employs brooding voice-overs, montages of mcdonalds and taco- bell, fat US tourists trying to dance, and the views of who are essentially peasants to support its uneducated idea of appropriate economic policy.

Exposes the dark side of globalization

[deus491 · 20 November 2007]

This film, though somewhat simplistic and emotional (for obvious reasons), does an excellent job of conveying to a broad audience some of the negative effects of globalization on a small, developing economy like that of Jamaica. One often hears critiques of international capitalism and the lending policies of the IMF and World Bank, but in most cases the criticism lacks pertinent examples of the direct impacts of globalization, or fails to make an effective case for why we should care. This film manages to do both, by providing relevant facts (increases in national debt over time, predatory interest rates tied to 'development' loans from the World Bank, critical industries undercut by international competition, etc.), and illustrating the ground-level effects on Jamaican citizens both visually and through numerous informative interviews. The film is interspersed with scenes of oblivious American tourists enjoying their vacations at expensive Jamaican resorts safely isolated from the surrounding poverty, to highlight the developed world's ignorance about the plight of Jamaica and similar underdeveloped countries.

As a precondition for aid, the IMF and World Bank usually require that developing countries drop any significant barriers to trade. When the doors are opened to international trade, lower-priced goods from abroad undercut local goods, and eliminate the market for any industry that cannot compete with the mass production that larger economies are capable of. While opening barrier-free worldwide markets for goods and services benefits the large economies already in a position to compete on such a scale, the sudden and forced introduction of 'free' trade to underdeveloped economies often disrupts domestic industries, which are given no opportunity to transition. While the consumer market is suddenly flooded with relatively cheaper goods (cheap enough to undercut the local competition, not to benefit consumers in any way), globalization fails to provide domestic producers with the inputs and capital (fertilizer, machinery, etc.) necessary to compete with producers abroad. As a result, the economy is robbed of its traditional sources of income and capacity for self-sufficiency, instead becoming reliant on weak foreign aid and tourism as national poverty continues to increase.

If the topic interests you, this is the film to watch. But it put me to sleep. *1/2 (out of four)

[Movie-12 · 3/10 · 16 January 2002]

LIFE AND DEBT / (2001) *1/2 (out of four)

Documentaries are probably the easiest kind of movie to make-no demanding actors, expensive special effects, enormous filming crews, or massive budgets. However, covering such specific topics, documentary movies are probably also the hardest kind of film to make entertaining.

Michael Moore does it best when he injects a cunning wit into his documentaries like "The Big One" and "Roger & Me." 1999's "Barenaked in America," detailing a Canadian band, also entertained audiences while still supplying interesting information on the subject. "Life and Debt" does not do this. It contains an appropriate style, but lacks interest.

For most of us, when we think about Jamaica, we think of a popular vacation spot. Who wouldn't enjoy it's beautiful locations, warm weather, and welcoming atmosphere. American's can even enter with a delusion of wealth since thirty Jamaican dollars equal approximately one US dollar.

But "Life and Debt" does not exploit the location as an exotic locale, it examines how the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other aid organizations have changed the Jamaican economy over the past several decades. The movie examines how agriculture, industry, government, and culture have been restructured by import-export systems, forcing the locals to live in poverty and work in sweatshops.

Director Stephanie Black does not take the normal approach to such material. She injects a sarcastic style into the scenes. An effective reggae soundtrack-including songs by Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Mutubaruka, and Peter Tosh-seasons the film. Unfortunately, despite the filmmakers' attempts, the spices do not rid the stuffy scenes of a stale aftertaste.

Author Jamaica Kincaid, whose book "A Small Place" inspired the film, guilds the audience on a tourist's journey through the visually stunning country. On a technical level, this is a good documentary; it makes good points about the topic. It surprises us while proving wrong our assumptions about Jamaican.

If you are interested in this kind of thing, this is definitely the movie to watch. But if you're not particularly interested in this topic, it's difficult to care about currency, economics, banana production, the country's poverty, etc. I found myself daydreaming, looking at my watch, dozing off. For me, this was a tedious, tremendously boring experience.

Though we can't accuse this movie of miscommunication. After watching the movie, we will all see Jamaica in a new light…that is, if we are still awake.

Powerful & sobering

[Always_against_torture · 11 March 2007]

As a documentary 'Life and Debt' has many merits one of the most apparent and significant of which is the highly imaginative and effective way that it draws a complex concept into the form of an 80 minute film. A film with so much to say necessarily risks either becoming boring or inaccessible, however Life and Debt suffers from neither of these. Ideas are treated elegantly and efficiently, and invariably illustrated with footage of entirely appropriate and often poignant examples, which in turn allows for excellent pacing. These assets allow what could have been a very dry and abstract film to instead comfortably hold the audience's interest. By way of criticism I would say that on certain occasions subtitles were probably required to render the material fully accessible to an international audience, as the accents/dialect (and cultural constructions of language) are such that the meaning of speakers is periodically unclear. But this and what other minor failings exist pale in comparison to its strengths.

An eye-opening look into Third World economics.

[melliferous · 10 March 2006]

Life and Debt is an arresting, soul-stirring documentary with fantastic images and a story that will haunt you long after the movie is over. I hope that watching it makes you reconsider what you know about how the world works economically, and the role of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

This film is an adaption of Jamaica Kincaid's novel "A Small Place," originally based on the story of Antigua (changed to Jamaica for the purposes of this film). If you enjoy the movie, be sure to read the book. In the film, as in the novel, Kincaid's voice-over narration is a powerful reminder of the complicated relationship between tourist and native, powerful and powerless, oppressors and oppressed. I would recommend this documentary to anyone interesting in how developed nations like the United States affect the development of Third World countries like Jamaica, even if you know nothing about it.