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Alfonso Cuaron and Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine
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Given the way the U.S. government has responded to the tragedies of 9/11 and Katrina, I've found myself more or less desensitized to conspiracy theories. We're living in a world where anything -- from manufacturing intelligence and outing CIA agents, to hiring nincompoops to run our most critical relief organizations -- is possible.
Then I saw The Shock Doctrine, and my jaw has yet to pick itself up off the floor. If there was ever a short that made you want to click through to Amazon and buy the book on which it was based, this is it.
Based on the book of the same title by Naomi Klein and overseen by Jonás Cuarón's auteur dad Alfonso Cuarón, The Shock Doctrine covers the connection between the radical theories of economist Milton Friedman, a Nobel laureate and close advisor to countless heads of state, and the activities of the CIA. To crudely paraphrase Friedman's thesis: disasters, whether they be natural, economic, political, or war-related, are the ideal opportunity to institute extreme economic policies that favor big business. The aftermath of a tsunami, for example, is an ideal time to privatize land, and a military coup is a great way to take over a poor country's oil business. "This is the secret history of the free market," states the film's narrator. "It wasn't born in freedom and democracy -- it was born in shock."
Utilizing a combination of archival footage, animation, and superimposed statistics, Cuarón illustrates his point by presenting a number of examples (Chile, the Falklands, etc.) of how Friedman's theories have been put into practice. It's a stunning piece of agit-prop filmmaking that owes much to the current master of the form, Adam Curtis.
But the filmmakers cleverly steer clear of the most obvious point, namely, how the Bush administration has used Friedman to their advantage. (Iraq, anyone?) That, dear viewer, is up to you.
For more on The Shock Doctrine, visit Klein's Web site or purchase her book. The short is currently screening at this year's Toronto Film Festival.
-Matthew Ross
Jonás Cuarón, Alfonso Cuarón, Naomi Klein
Documentary, Politics, Animation
6:46
Alan Hayling, Alex Cooke
Alfonso Cuarón, Naomi Klein
Jonás Cuarón
