 Maybe don’t order the extra large popcorn before this thought-provoking documentary about the troubling amount of wasted food in the world. Disturbed by statistics that show nearly 40% of food produced globally is never consumed, Canadians Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer pledge to survive for six months entirely on discarded food. The result is Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, directed by Baldwin and a surprisingly refreshing entry into the genre of food documentaries that, by this point, I thought had long gone stale. Using the standard “advocacy documentary” template (problem, reasons, solution, website), Baldwin effectively makes the case that there is no single reason for so much wasted food, but rather a multitude of minor factors in our food culture that contribute to it. Portion sizes have ballooned, hospitality norms require abundant buffets that can never run empty, and consumers only purchase aesthetically perfect, unblemished food. And those are just a few reasons, before even considering the indirect impacts of wasted food (destroyed cropland, energy used for food distribution). It won’t surprise you that--spoiler alert--Baldwin and Rustemeyer survive the six months, but it will surprise you to see just how easily they do so. |  MSPIFF Wednesday, April 22, 5:00pm Friday, April 24, 2:20pm Director: Grant Baldwin Producer: Jenny Rustmeyer Writers: Jenny Rustemeyer, Grant Baldwin Cinematography: Jenny Rustemeyer, Grant Baldwin Editing: Grant Baldwin Music: Grant Baldwin Runtime: 75m. Genre: Documentary Country: Canada Premiere: April 27, 2014 - Hot Docs International Documentary Festival |
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