4TheRcrd Mag.

Strange Culture is Lynn Hershman-Leeson’s latest political documentary look at the Patriot Act and the many concomitant trials individuals (like Steve Kurtz) face in America. These trials are against the State, Corporate and Pharmaceutical companies who, it appears, stand to win the race to copyright food, and pass judgments of bio-terrorism, all in the midst of a public concern to label food properly. It’s an absurd “let’s label-everyone-as-terrorist but lets-not-label-the-GE-ingredients-in-our-food, kind of film.

In short this film talks about a state battling out, through round-about means (like labeling Artists like Steve Kurtz, who propagate free-speech acts, as Terrorists), against mandatory food labeling in America. The paradox is: the state is eager to label people but not what is in our food, and that is one of the tragedies of the film. On that note, it strikes very close to home: since Canada in general, and BC in particular, refuse to appease the consumers’ demands to including the GE contents in our food labels also. For a few recent articles on this refer to: Technology in Our Food, and Genetically Modified Foods, among others.

Where 35+ countries in the world have already instituted the mandatory labeling of all GE ingredients in foods, in America the public have to try to fight their government to do it. That is truly absurd. The ethical and absolutely critical battle is being fought to ensure that people know what is in their food — which, you’d assume, would be what everyone wants. Whereas the European Union mandates that all food labels include the GE ingredients as well as the others. In America, because of all GE technology in the foods, Corporations don’t want to appease the ethical right to know, and so in their capacity, go as far as using the justice department to win.

This film is a great example of a scenario where even the state apparatus and the justice department serve the most ethically questionable business, the business of our food supplies, food reserves, and food manufacturing — all three intertwined plans to feed billions. Considering the controversy and complexity of the topic, Hershman-Leeson takes a bit of time to develop the argument and lay out the landscape, but after the first 30 minutes the average informed viewer gets sucked right into it.

PICTURE CREDIT: VIFF Picture Database. Used With Permission.