I believe this documentary to best fit into the category of participatory documentary as there is a direct engagement between the filmmaker (Moore) and the subject/s. Moore also has an impact on the events as he engages with the people he is interviewing whilst often on screen and is the most celebrated aspect of the film and there are certain scenes dedicated to his actions as he floods the governor of Flint’s house.
Some of the most recognisable and engaging issues raised in the documentary are as follows:
Why don’t the people of America hold a single seat of power?
One of the most widely criticised issues in the documentary revolved around the lack of power that the majority of people in America have and how its only those with connections and wealth who are able to attain high positions of power within government; “If America is us, and we are the majority, why is it that we don’t hold a single seat of power”. This point is a very relevant issue raised as Moore questions whether the fact that people from working class backgrounds who best understand their local areas are denied positions in the Supreme Court, Senate, and The White House.
The flase-front of the American Dream
Another issue raised is the idea of the American Dream, popularised by James Truslow Adams in 1931 that highlights the ambitions of American to start from the bottom and to achieve great things by working hard. Moore describes this ideal as a lie showing the poverty and murder across America that takes the idea away from them being ‘the best country in the world’.
The treatment of teachers and students
Lastly and possibly most importantly, the treatment of teachers in schools that caused mass strikes across the country and the students who now take it into their own hands to make a change after the realisation that the people representing and leading their country aren’t as capable as they might have once believed. The fact that teachers had to live off food stamps because they were below the poverty line really put a spotlight on the injustices of the government against ordinary people who work hard to help others, with one of the most audacious aspects of his argument being the doubling in healthcare insurance cost and the ridiculous ‘Go365’ campaign that would monitor the users physical activity through the forced wearing of a Fitbit that would require them to meet a specific amount of steps for them to even qualify for basic healthcare, and if they didn’t reach this set amount, well then they would have to pay a $500 penalty at the end of the year, a truly ludicrous system that eventually put all staff on strike, spreading across the country until change was made.
Moreover, the representation of the students’ concerns regarding the treatment of themselves is presented in a manner that horrifies the audience and makes them question the morality of their own government and media response. After showing explicit videos of a school shooting, Moore presents their trauma first hand, allowing the audience to get a feel for what they must have gone through, cleverly putting into perspective the ignorance of those not directly involved with the ‘thoughts and prayers’ comments that seemed to represent a major issue that Moore is raising that people are unaware of the reality that others face and don’t question those who should protect them, briefly making an innocuous tweet and then moving on. One specific part grabbed my attention which was when Moore made a comment that perhaps the only good thing that adults were doing for the world was raising these children who were taking responsibility, receiving response from a teenage girl that on the contrary “social media raised us”. Whilst I don’t agree with the comment Moore made in its entirety, the fact that students are in agreement that what they see on their phone is having a more cultural impact on them than what they hear from teachers, parents and government officials makes clear a change that Moore is trying to encourage in order to progress as a nation.
Aaron Bruce's Film Studies Blog 