GMO Film “Consumed” – Yes, It’s a Drama About the GMO Controversy
Consumed, a film putting the GMO controversy onscreen in a different light than previous films on the topic (all documentaries), opened nationally December 9th. The filmmakers based the plot on a debate we know well: are GMOs safe to eat or are they causing chronic health problems? One of the main characters is a single, working-mother who suspects her son’s undiagnosed and baffling illness is a result of GMOs in his food.
Zoe Lister Jones plays a mom who suspects GMOs are making her son sick. Consumed screenshot. Original photo here: http://www.villagevoice.com/restaurants/gmos-are-haunting-in-new-thriller-consumed-8002868
Here’s a description of one scene —
At the grocery store, she shudders at ears of corn suffocating in plastic. She picks up a potato, sees maggots feasting on another one under it, and screams. Shaken, she runs from the store as if haunted and pursued.
Although that certainly reeks of melodrama, it will be interesting to see how the story unfolds onscreen. An early Consumed GMO film review from the Los Angeles Film Festival last summer was somewhat favorable.
Consumed follows the paths of multiple fictional characters, starring a talented cast headlined by Danny Glover, who plays a fourth-generation organic farmer about to lose his farm due to contamination by his neighbor’s GMO farm. Other characters include Victor Garber, a CEO who believes his GMO foods will solve world hunger… Kunal Nayyar, a conflicted scientist… and Zoe Lister-Jones, the mother trying to find the source of her son’s mysterious illness.
Of course, this kind of material runs the risk of being snore-inducing when projected onto the big screen. But filmmakers Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones were prepared for that. They started their research seven years ago, and the public debate became incredibly personal.
And according to the early review, not surprisingly, Danny Glover steals the show —
“Danny Glover puts in an amazing performance as farmer Hal Westbrook that you almost wish you could see the entire film from his perspective.”
If you’ve seen the movie, please let us know what you think in the Comments. Is it simply trying to exploit a controversial issue to make a buck, or is the film a worthwhile endeavor that adds to the GMO conversation?
To read more details about the GMO film Consumed, visit:
http://www.villagevoice.com/restaurants/gmos-are-haunting-in-new-thriller-consumed-8002868
And here’s the review from last summer:
http://www.presspassla.com/laff-consumed-review/
