Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers (2003) User Reviews

Not your typical documentary, but certainly worth a watch

[intnsred · 8/10 · 20 November 2004]

A very unusual documentary about consumerism. I prefer

statistics-filled, dry, just-throw-the-facts-at-me types of

documentaries. I find most of Michael Moore's humor distracting to his

main points, for example. This film uses a variety of techniques to

appeal to emotions.

For instance, it uses a sometimes annoying, sometimes surprisingly

effective tactic of repeating sound bites. The footage ranges from

protests to interviews. Footage includes a Cuban teen's reactions to

visiting McDonalds, to European homeless people, to Microsoft's Steve

Ballmer dancing around screaming to motivate Windows programmers at a

conference. It's truly unusual, but despite my preference for "drier"

more fact-oriented documentaries, I found this unusual emotion-appeal

film quite enjoyable and effective. That surprised me; perhaps it will

you too?

this documentary is not communist propaganda

[peeter-piiri-001 · 18 April 2005]

It is very important to understand, that the makers of this documentary does not idealize the alternatives of western consumerism. Vice versa, they show it very clearly that the "alternatives" of such consuming madness are the same - madness. The idea of this documentary is not the communist propaganda. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to show this documentary in Cuba. It is too critical for them too. The idea of this film is to show the hopelessness of the situation, where we live. In documentary Zerzan says, that he does not think that the destroying and burning are solutions, but there are simply nothing more to do. This film declares, that we have no solutions nor alternatives. This is not the propaganda of violence, but the tragic conclusion, that it is more ethical (bu only more) to burn and to destroy, than to consume and to conform from day to day.

Fight fire with fire

[Zaerdna · 9/10 · 16 December 2003]

This is one of the most touching and truthful documentary I have ever seen. The film is about our world, the modern civilisation that eats more than needed.

What really makes me like it is how the messege is presented. It could almost be a MTV video if I didn´t know better. Various sound-clips and pictures made together rythmicly to music.

It´s not very much information that is physicly showed, its the pictures in symbios with music that is the real strength in this flick.

I strongly recomend that you see it as fast as you can and start to think; do I really need all this?

Very Good

[wiepske · 9/10 · 7 February 2004]

This is without doubt one of the most convincing and impressive documentaries I have ever seen. It is very in-your-face and not subtle, and you might not agree with the message (consumerism is bad), but anyone would have to admit that this film is very, very well made.

It's form is highly original. For example, there's a quick montage of the world's leaders (Bush, Blair, Poetin, Chirac etc.), who's voices have been erased, and replaced by a new one, literally 'putting words in their mouths'. Great!

And I should mention the editing, which is in accordance with the images and music. The whole film playes like a musical piece, with repeting themes, set-ups and climaxes.

For the original form alone, you should see this when you have the chance. Even when you think capitalism is okay.

not in depth but that isn't necessary

[step2ice · 10/10 · 11 November 2005]

I watched this valuable piece of film many times. It isn't the usual type of documentary you see everyday. It mixes music (most electrical style) and short comments and speeches about the western consume nature and capitalism. It is somehow enjoyable to watch which makes the information easier to understand and remember. One peak is the satiric presentation of the "G8 World shop". You will see some video pieces of the worlds politicians remixed, edited and cut to a background comment. Very funny and very serious at the same time.

Besides the documentary "The Corporation" from Michael Moore, it's the most accessible documentary regarding this Problem which affects us all. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

10/10

good looking documentary with little substance!

[secrective · 2/10 · 1 March 2006]

a movie about consumerism. not much irony. this movie plays pretty blandly with only one or two narrators, cut between multiple videos of seemingly random things about consumerism.

the main narrator even says that protesting gets no notice until it gets to be a violent protest. anyways this is boring and definitely looks more like a music video. if you liked the music video look, which is cut up audio and video, especially using those sound effects from the videos. i recommend the "Coldcut & Hexstatic - Timber" video, which is 100x better than this movie.

it is interesting how they show a small segment of Cuba wherein a lady shows us her ration card. and another girl who had visited London recounts her awe at seeing a supermarket. some of the movie is cut into car factories, computer exercise training, ship dismantling in India, and other random videos. but then there is no afterthought or commentary on it.

in short, if you are looking for a good anti-consumerism movie, avoid this.

powerful, potent, and a must see

[ponte1 · 10/10 · 10 April 2006]

this is a very brilliantly made documentary. there are more than one narratives going at once, streaming to you in a cleverly cut together fashion, which normally juxtaposes what is being said to what the opposite is.

for those who say this film is like a music video rather than a documentary, all i can say is that you don't get it. the fashion and rhythmic style of the editing is not to make it amusing but to hammer and retort on the style of consuming that exists today. that is, to repeatedly go back and back and back and back to the same product and consumer goods to feed feed feed feed our structured likes/wants/needs from advertising from a completely absorbing imperialistic consumer society.

with that said, if that made sense to you, you too would enjoy this documentary; it changed the way i looked at life to an extent.

go watch this film. now.

More Music Video than Documentary

[Mr__Underhill · 4/10 · 12 August 2005]

I'd like to offer a shiny review of this film, however this one seemed to me more eye candy than substance. There are many points were you'd expect some substantiation to the sound bites you hear from protagonists, bystanders, corporate leaders, or politicians. Instead you get taken off to more imagery or repetition of the same idea (Max Headroom style). You'd think a picture would be worth a thousand words, but in this case I don't think I learned anything remotely new, and the film isn't likely to win any converts.

Perhaps the sound bite format is intentional. Who knows? A film is supposed to be an artist's venue for expression so why try to hamper your own message using this stifling technique. You have a whole film to say something so why waste it? In a very basic sense you might walk away with a general feeling of "consumerism bad...primitivism good" (or one of the two) but then again the proponent of this idea is made to look like a bit of a moron and often the counter arguments seem stronger than those that the movie title suggest. In short the arguments this film makes which support the title theme could be torn to shreds in a second in their current format.

beautiful, if not compelling

[deproduction · 21 September 2004]

The critics of this film are right to criticize it for being light on information, compelling arguments, and data backing up its claims. The film focuses more on style and visual appeal, and as someone who watches hours of drab, informative, sterile activist videos, progressive films, and leftist propaganda each week, this film was a total breath of fresh air. If you want the facts, watch one of the thousands of great films out there that give you all the research and information you need... visit the media education foundation or read some chomsky. This film may have chosen style over substance, but for me, it had enough style to get away with it. Even for someone who hates property destruction and disagrees with the philosophies of violent opposition that this film promotes, I welcomed this film. 99% of what I see every day is all-style and no-substance and backs agendas I disagree with. At least this film presents a fresh and alternative opinion.

Powerful images, humor, and a great satire on other forms of terror in a globalised world

[alvaro-ramirez · 10/10 · 15 February 2007]

Surplus ranks among some of the best interrogative documentaries of all times. It is a great symphony, not of a city, but of the complex web of relations facing the planet in the new century. It is a satirical film but also an urgent call to reflect on our shopping habits, and the way contemporary society is shaping us, not so much as citizens but as consumers. Fast paced at times, humorous and innovative the films feels like a modern symphony of images and sounds that flow in different rhythmic beats contrasting nations, social conditions, habits and ways of being. It shows the powerless and the powerful and mocks chiefs of state who dance to the sound of the big corporations that financed their campaigns in order to be get them elected.

A documentary meant to create introspection rather than give answers

[Khabibul35-1 · 10/10 · 18 October 2014]

Judging by other reviews, there's a lot of misperception of film so let's try to get the record straight about what the documentary includes and what it's trying to convey to the viewer.

First of all, it shows some stunning imagery and repetitive video editing that is overlaid with music and speeches. It is very much focused on style. Some of these are meant to criticize modern day capitalism, some are meant to mock the leaders/proponents of the establishment, and some are simply showing the ramifications of consumerism.

Secondly, the films shows alternatives to the status-quo like Cuba and primitivism. These are montages with imagery or just the people speaking directly to the camera.

What biggest misunderstanding people seem to have is about "style over substance". However, actually, since it's made in the repetitive style of a commercial, that is in fact is the entire point. The goal is to make you think of how you receive your information and leaves you with content you need to digest. If you're passive, which is what most TV watching is anyway, you'll get nothing at all from the content. The goal of the filmmakers is to have you reflect on both the means and the results of business as usual and to stop being passive to the information you receive.

The second misunderstanding seems to revolve around what it's advocating. Unlike what some seem to think, it's neither to follow the Cuban model or the primitivist model. The imagery and speeches while less scathing, are left to show these as being also hollow in the end. Overall, none of them are presented very appealingly. But just when you think it might finish being a nihilistic deconstruction of modern day society comes the "point", if there is one. It's the next to last line of the movie: "I want something else."

Easily one of the best

[stormstereo · 10/10 · 9 July 2004]

It's hard to find a more beautifully made documentary. The repeating scenes cut to the music makes the whole thing feel like a music video but it still delivers the message at the same time. I know Söderberg was also involved in "Lucky People Center International" and those who have seen that one will recognize the style here.

You will find it's biased against capitalism, hence the name, right? Yet, you'll find Castro coming through as a very strange man, at least in my view. To me the footage feels unique, we get to see him as we almost never see him in news media. The whole film is "fresh", both footage and the craftsmanship.

I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a feast for the eye as well as the brain. The time spent will not be a waste.

Best/T

better dance remix than documentary

[dagr8vik · 2/10 · 1 October 2005]

There is virtually no 'substance' to this so-called documentary. I say so-called, because it doesn't actually document anything. What a wast of time: every scene is repeated at least 3 times. 15 minutes of the movie isn't in English and doesn't have subtitles. Only about 10 minutes of the film actually addresses its anti-capitalist theme. And none of that 10 minutes offers any facts or evidence, just the rantings of a single fringe radical author; 'we should tear up the highways' and 'starbucks is wiping out freedom.' It sorta felt like a cross between two very good documentaries (Koyaanisqatsi and The Corporation) that was somehow managed to be perfectly terrible.

Powerful message through visuals

[joon808 · 9/10 · 8 August 2005]

This is one of the best documentaries I have seen on this subject. The use of repetitive visuals is very effective in getting the message across because often times thats what it takes to get people to understand what is being said. The entire documentary is done in a stylish and artistic way that draws the viewer to watch and listen more closely. Some may argue that this is another lame propaganda film but I would argue against that because what this documentary shows is the insanity that we have created for ourselves, and the realization of where the world is headed unless we stop to think about what we are doing to ourselves as a society and as a planet. For those who say that this documentary was more flash than message, I can only say that only a person without any forward vision would say something like that. I applaud Erik Gandini for his avant garde style and if in the future I choose to make my own film, I will seek any advice he has to offer me.

Cluttered and confused

[wisewebwoman · 4/10 · 23 October 2005]

This film works desperately at attacking our consumer driven culture and does it in a hip-hop style by putting outrageous words in the mouths of politicians. These get repeated over and over to the point of irritation. Several times I wanted to turn it off but thought it had to get better. It doesn't. I don't know what all the scenes in Cuba were about unless it was to intercut their rationed lifestyle with our own excessive one but then there was the interview with the Cuban teenager who had nothing but admiration for the capitalism when she visited seems to negate all of that.

A manic Mike Balmer whipping what looks like the entire staff of Microsoft into a frenzy of love for the company serves no purpose that I could see. So we're all drones? Yeah, so what now? We keep seeing a wooden hammer being driven into something, a long scene of boats been taken apart in India (for the salvage value of the steel) goes nowhere, nor do the grinning faces of the labourers working on these boats. Are they happier than the Microsoft labourers? I don't think so. The point being then?

I was prepared to like this, being appalled by the gas guzzling, corporate shilling, polluting entities we have all become. But I couldn't. There just wasn't enough in this little bomb to sink the teeth into. I give it a 4 out of 10 for making me briefly reflect on Fidel and Cuba, which I have visited, and our mad North American consumerism and agreeing on this one thing, yes, it is all coming to an end.

Mesmerizing

[espenlud · 10/10 · 19 June 2022]

What I like about this documentary is that it in its boldness brings up a still more relevant question: why do we allow ourselves to be brainwashed like this? Still?

And all those hypocrites ruining our once mediocre but still kind of working democracy, exposed. Those politicians. Their words. Really?

What are we doing?

This is more relevant than ever.

But what I like the most is the rhythmic, hypnotic style this documentary is full-packed with. It really gets me tuned in.

Change your lifestyle - You can also do without it!

[cbagpjszxkpifo · 10/10 · 16 May 2007]

This Documentary indeed changed my lifestyle, after watching it I was able to go easier WITHOUT nonstop consuming, brands after brands, the best, the most expansive and so on. I recommend everyone on earth who is living in one of the few rich nations to watch this movie and deeply think about it once in a while, than maybe renewing the input by watching it again after a few years. This Movie is not only about money and consumption, its about the awareness of your own acting and lifestyle. If you carefully analyze western society, you might find out that the greatest accumulating of free choice you can get is between one product or 432 similar products while shopping. Consumption IS the factor which moves our hole society along the day, it drives people crazy and by the way destroys half of the Earth without attracting attention (the other half seems to be reserved for war). ...So - You can also do without it! ... beans rice, rice and beans. beans. beans-rice - rice and beans

Absolute garbage

[jfahlman · 1/10 · 20 April 2005]

Yet another in a new tradition of categorizing propaganda films as "documentaries" even though they blatantly turn a blind eye to any document or details that disprove their intended message. This film avoids any and all intelligent comments on the subject of consumerism and relies solely on leveraging emotional hot buttons. It is neither factual nor accurate, but what is far worse is that it pretends to be.

With a running time of just under an hour, this could easily have been a fifteen minute film if all the repetition were removed. Repetition is one of the foundational tools of brainwashing, which makes this film all the more damaging. Hand selected and trimmed pieces of second hand footage are looped over and over to try and force the viewer into a trance so that direct access to the mind without having to bother working through the intellect can be achieved.

Film makers such as this need to realize that if their point cannot be made in a straightforward and concise manner, without stealth and duplicity, then perhaps their point of view is not valid in the first place. It is hard to accept a message of "let's destroy society and return to the days of the cave man" when it is recorded and delivered on through one of the most technologically advanced mediums ever known on earth. It is important to note that I am not putting words into anybody's mouth here, the film makers repeatedly advocate the destruction of all technology so that mankind may return to the simplicity and hedonism of the cave man eras. Somehow a the destruction of property is not a form of violence and at the same time a return to savagery is also a non-violent plan of action.

Avoid this film like the plague.

If you don't have much to say, better to shut up

[EnochRoot · 4/10 · 5 April 2004]

This documentary was a bit disappointing. Very similar to "Lucky People Center International" from 1998, only more repetative and less imaginative. Maybe that is because Johan Söderberg was co-director on both of them?

The movie deals with consumption, for me a very interesting subject. It was no suprise that this movie held a critical stance towards capitalism and consumerism, as that kind of view is very politically correct and trendy nowadays in Sweden. However, to my disappointment, the movie really doesn't contain much fact or discussion at all - some nice looking images with good-sounding music are shown, some of them repeated over and over again. While this was used in a good way in "LPCI", where it created a nice flow between the different scenes, here it just becomes... repetative.

Conclusion: If you don't have much to say, better to shut up.

4/10

brilliant message and medium

[Kaas_Monster · 27 July 2003]

It was quite a good movie actually, very well put together visually. I would have liked to see more dialogue and maybe a bit more debate going down. Basically what it was a depiction of John Zerzan's claim for a huge dismantling project of consumerism and everything that goes with it. In a way Zerzan (who you can gather is an anarchist, or has anarchist tendencies) is a bit idealistic, he wants us to return to a hunter/gatherer society where everyone lives in peace and happiness.

The doccy has images of loads of speeches (Bush after 9/11, mike Balmer (Microsoft), Blair, Fidel Castro, and loads of others). and includes one (my favourite) where bush goes: "We must not let the terrorists scare people... to the extent where they don't shop." it's brilliantly cut with music and other visuals.

The movie has a bit of a music video feel to it, but that makes it even more "enjoyable", it makes it a bit more accessible to some people who don't really know about protests and wat-have-you. One memorable part was where you have the head of Adbusters speaking, and the visuals are all the hot shot corporates and presidents who are "synched" to his words, brilliantly done!

Another striking thing was where you had Fidel Castro speaking, and he is going on about how Cubans are free and have true democracy and true choice and then they cut to a scene in a shop where there are only about 3 different kinds of shoes and how they ration food and this one chick who went to Europe who was blown away by the bright lights, big city and fast food.

Then it swings back to Zerzan who goes justifies the use of violence at protests infused with images of protests outside G8 meetings. Visually, a brilliant movie, and although I don't agree with a few of Zerzan's means or ends, I do agree the problem(s) he highlights. Politically, also brilliant as it makes the problems easily accessible to the average person who might not know that much about stuff, while I never felt "oh yeah, I know that s***, yawn" even if you don't feel like checking it as a "message movie", the part where they interview sex doll manufacturers is quite funny.

I'd definitely recommend surplus.

Mediocre

[Daniel Karlsson · 5/10 · 28 December 2003]

Interesting subject, although insufficient substance. A few scenes are played over and over again, probably because they had no other material to put there instead. Kind of biased against capitalism, except for a short interview with a Cuban girl. I have hard to agree with what people in the documentary say; for instance, what is more waste than destroying innocent people's property? And the appeal to go back to stone age is laughable; what do we have laws for? Isn't it better to limit the power of multinational companies and commercialism/over-advertisement through international legislation rather than going back to stone age?

5/10

Annoying and Interesting at the Same Time

[bluebaboon · 4/10 · 28 January 2009]

The editing of this film is quite original but I find it mostly annoying and the film fails as a whole. The film seems to try to mimic and/or appropriate the structure and techniques of consumer culture through repetitions and associations. Sound bytes and short sequences are repeated over and over again and much like a pop song played on the radio all the time, they begin to feel familiar and get stuck in your head. The sound and video tracks are sometimes obviously manipulated as for example when we hear George W. Bush speak to footage of one of Fidel Castro's speeches. You have the same effect in commercials where a shiny new car is shown moving on a country road but instead of engine noise the sound track plays music. I think I understand why the film is edited that way but still I found it mostly annoying, perhaps because these manipulations are so obvious and unsubtle.

I did not expect this film to present a viable alternative to consumerism, but I feel disappointed nonetheless. What I expected was to be shown the incongruities and absurdities of consumerism. The hard part of every critique of consumerism is that up to a point consuming is a good thing because we all need to fulfill our basic needs. That is why the alternatives juxtaposed with consumerism in the film, namely Cuban socialism and primitivism not only fail to convince but even undermine the film's credibility. Unfortunately, this movie does very little to show that consumerism and economic growth are not always good but come with a high cost in negative effects for individuals, society and environment. This film offers only glimpses of the by now conventional imagery for such negative effects for example with footage of congested freeways or huge garbage dumps.

What I missed most are some suggestions of viable alternatives to a consumerist lifestyle. We all have to consume but the point is to find a good balance between the material and the spiritual. There are some hints at this in the film but they are quite easy to miss. I would have loved to see people who forgo consumerism by building things themselves, by consuming less than they could (by free choice not a lack of supply as in Cuba), by trying alternative modes of working, consuming and living and by spending their resources on non-consumerist goods such as learning and teaching skills, sharing experiences with others and developing meaningful relationships. I have a hunch that the secret of consumerism's success is to a good part its ability to translate our social and spiritual needs into material ones and I would have loved to see some exploration into that direction.

A bit whacked out

[ylikone · 4/10 · 10 February 2005]

After watching this, I am not quite sure what the real message of it is. On one hand they manage to show how we have absurdly huge amounts of stuff and we are very wasteful... while on the other they show the bad conditions in Cuba and the insanity of the guy preaching that we have to damage property to get our point across. So, are we supposed to be jealous of Cubans? I think not. Are we supposed to become criminals for the cause? I think not. There were a few entertaining clips like when the Microsoft guy is freaking out with his crazy jumping and screaming... what an ass! Anyway, if you like documentaries that look like MTV music videos (edited like one) with repetitive techno music and hardly any content, check this out.

more annoying than good...

[heckknow · 15 May 2005]

Yes, it tries to deliver its message of anti-capitalism. But it does it by repeating scenes over and over again (it makes you wonder if they didn't film enough or had to pad the movie to extend it's run time because of a lack of money/footage or both). It feels more like the film is trying to force its message onto you until you say uncle.

Most of the scenes are un-narrated (and un-translated). This leaves the viewer lost and confused. Huh? What do these people in this segment have to do with anti-capitalism? The transitions between scenes could use some help here. The editing is horrible. The film goes from one scene to the next without any sort of explanation to the viewer. Okay, there are people rioting. Um, what is it that they're rioting over? Why are they rioting? In the end, the film's message of anti-capitalism is cluttered/muddled because of bad film editing/direction. The reason is never backed up by any sort of substance or fact. Thus, it makes this movie appear more like a propaganda film than a documentary about anti-capitalism.

It's awful. Don't waste your time on this film. Go watch the corporation documentary; it's much more informative and well made. I only give it a 3 because it is somewhat thought provoking (if you can get over the constant repeated scenes and repeated dialogues).