mid 70's documentary that shows how livestock are raised, sold, and processed in the United States.mid 70's documentary that shows how livestock are raised, sold, and processed in the United States.mid 70's documentary that shows how livestock are raised, sold, and processed in the United States.
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Storyline
Featured review
Meat Is Murder.
The beautiful thing about Wiseman's documentaries, are that he doesn't have to say anything at all...because he lets the images speak for themselves.
And in the case of Meat, things are no different.
Here, he confronts the industrialized feedlots and factory farms, in midwestern USA.
We watch the entire process from the auction house (where these large scale operations buy animals off of the smaller scale farmers who raise them); to packaging; rounding out with the goods being shipped off to market.
With a little business in between.
It is, however, a bit of a selective endeavour...as we only watch the process as it applies to cattle and sheep.
Pigs and chickens are not covered here.
After leaving the auction house, we head to the feedlots, where the cattle are fattened up on grain.
The industry leaders, here, are educating a group of Japanese businessmen, who want to take what they learn, so they can start up a similar such operation back at home.
From here, we head straight into the slaughterhouse.
Where the cattle are put through a very fined tuned- and highly efficient- operation, that sees them stunned, slit open, gutted, deskinned, and left to hang for marbling purposes.
Then we switch over to watch sheep go through a similar such process...as they are led to the slaughter by the "scapegoat".
A turncoat of an animal, that leads the recently sheered flock straight toward their impending doom.
The stunning part of the process is the most disturbing...as the animals are strung up, and hung from their limbs, as they continue to twitch, after being subject to an intense electrical shock, applied to the brain.
Though, the remaining part certainly isn't for the faint of heart.
As it makes you understand why people like Ed Gein were such affective serial killers.
Because working in this industry is sure to desensitize you from the blood and guts involved in the act of dismemberment.
Wiseman might seem like a fly on the wall.
A neutral actor in the whole ordeal, not imposing his voice, or opinion upon the viewer.
But the film certainly comes off as a critique, in this vegan's (admittedly bias) opinion.
On one hand, it is a valuable look at what these animals- and those engaged in the act of slaughtering them- must endure, to bring meat to your kitchen table each night.
Thus acting to bridge the disconnect that your average urban dwellers have, between what they eat, and where it comes from.
But at the same time, can be seen as a critique of the heartless, emotionless, process that is the industrialized slaughter of animals for meat, and related such products.
Because it certainly is easy to see how such a world could breed sociopaths, and serial killers of the future.
As, lest we forget...meat will always require murder.
His films having such dichotomies, are why Wiseman is- and always will be- such an important documentarian.
8 out of 10.
And in the case of Meat, things are no different.
Here, he confronts the industrialized feedlots and factory farms, in midwestern USA.
We watch the entire process from the auction house (where these large scale operations buy animals off of the smaller scale farmers who raise them); to packaging; rounding out with the goods being shipped off to market.
With a little business in between.
It is, however, a bit of a selective endeavour...as we only watch the process as it applies to cattle and sheep.
Pigs and chickens are not covered here.
After leaving the auction house, we head to the feedlots, where the cattle are fattened up on grain.
The industry leaders, here, are educating a group of Japanese businessmen, who want to take what they learn, so they can start up a similar such operation back at home.
From here, we head straight into the slaughterhouse.
Where the cattle are put through a very fined tuned- and highly efficient- operation, that sees them stunned, slit open, gutted, deskinned, and left to hang for marbling purposes.
Then we switch over to watch sheep go through a similar such process...as they are led to the slaughter by the "scapegoat".
A turncoat of an animal, that leads the recently sheered flock straight toward their impending doom.
The stunning part of the process is the most disturbing...as the animals are strung up, and hung from their limbs, as they continue to twitch, after being subject to an intense electrical shock, applied to the brain.
Though, the remaining part certainly isn't for the faint of heart.
As it makes you understand why people like Ed Gein were such affective serial killers.
Because working in this industry is sure to desensitize you from the blood and guts involved in the act of dismemberment.
Wiseman might seem like a fly on the wall.
A neutral actor in the whole ordeal, not imposing his voice, or opinion upon the viewer.
But the film certainly comes off as a critique, in this vegan's (admittedly bias) opinion.
On one hand, it is a valuable look at what these animals- and those engaged in the act of slaughtering them- must endure, to bring meat to your kitchen table each night.
Thus acting to bridge the disconnect that your average urban dwellers have, between what they eat, and where it comes from.
But at the same time, can be seen as a critique of the heartless, emotionless, process that is the industrialized slaughter of animals for meat, and related such products.
Because it certainly is easy to see how such a world could breed sociopaths, and serial killers of the future.
As, lest we forget...meat will always require murder.
His films having such dichotomies, are why Wiseman is- and always will be- such an important documentarian.
8 out of 10.
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- meddlecore
- May 7, 2023
Details
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Fleisch
- Filming locations
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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