This stunning documentary, directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter in 2005, is the best film about our modern agricultural system that I have seen. It has no commentary, narration or interviews, just slow moving static and tracking shots. It proves that it’s better to simply show something and let the audience make up their own mind. That being said, I’d be surprised if many people would come out of a screening of this film and think that what they just saw, our industrialized agricultural system, is a good idea. But another point of Our Daily Bread, I think, is that, like it or not, we’re all a part of this system.
Our Daily Bread is available on Netflix and Amazon. You can read an interview with the director on the official website www.ourdailybread.at.
I’d like to be more “apart” from the system, but I think you meant we’re all “a part” of this system.
I’m off to go look for the film, thanks for the recommendation!
Barbara,
Thanks for catching that typo!
That is a mesmerizing movie. If you haven’t already seen them you might also enjoy “The Gleaners and I“, a French film about the practice of gleaning wasted food, and the recent (locally produced!) film Dive! about dumpster diving and food waste in LA.
Howdy Zane,
Several people have suggested “The Gleaners and I” to me–just put it on the Netflix queue and looking forward to seeing it. I caught a screening of Dive at the Echo Park Film Center recently and enjoyed it.
Glad to see the price has gone down. I watched that with one of my classes last year (the TA managed to score the disc in some kind of preview option, rather than having to pay the $400 price tag, but had to return it by mail). It was filmed somewhere Germany, or thereabouts, no?
It was shot in several European countries. The director says, in the interview on the official website, that he doesn’t think the locations are important since this is now the way that food is produced throughout the world. All one big globalized scary network!
i saw this several years ago in the theater, ma and i left saying “well that was very german”. i think it might be the most haunting of the slew of food movies made in the last 5 years. i like how it only shows the food system, but does not pass judgement only documents. so many of the films in the last few years about food have hit you over the head with a sledgehammer about how you should eat. and the gleaners is a enjoyable film – i find myself making little circles with my hand around tractor trailers when driving down the highway.
Can’t wait to look for these videos. I may have to sign up for Netflix again!