Recco of the week: Fast Food Nation

DIGEST THIS! Fast Food Nation is an expose on America's fast-food industry.

J & K | Chhattisgarh | Delhi | MP |
Mizoram | Rajasthan

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

They say 'we are what we eat' and if that's true, then looking at the film I'm going to recommend, one might have to ask if we really know who we are. Richard Linklater's film Fast Food Nation is an expose on America's fast-food industry.

The film goes behind the counter of a McDonalds or Burger King-like fast-food joint and traces where the beef patty comes from and the history of the hamburger that you've just been served.

The film travels from cattle ranch where these cows are fed and bred, to slaughterhouse where they're disemboweled and then the meat is ground, pressed and frozen before it's stacked and dispatched to the chain of fast-food joints.

You'll never believe what goes on along the way, and to be honest I'm not sure I want to tell you either. It's just something you have to see for yourself and come to terms with.

Interestingly, unlike Eric Schlosser's non-fiction book, which is the original source material for this story, the film is a fictionalised account of the same story. Which means, there's a plot and there are characters and there's a very clear storyline.

What's also interesting about Linklater's film is the manner in which he links this central theme of the film to the story of the illegal Mexican immigrants who cross the border into America every day and end up working at the same meat-packing plant, where they're exploited mercilessly.

It's in the film's last half hour that the horror really hits you – you're taken to the ‘kill floor’ at the meat-packing plant where the cows are slaughtered. You'll see the cruel reality behind the meat industry, it's a scene that will make even the toughest of you feel sick because it's all so heartless and cold and matter-of-fact.

Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking – we don't eat beef, this isn't our problem. Please understand this film doesn't propogate vegetarianism, no that's not the agenda of this film and it's not that kind of film.

The film is really about morality. It's not a boring documentary, it's a film every single person should watch because it's important to be aware.

You'll find Fast Food Nation on DVD, but here's a warning, don't watch it right after a meal, there's a good chance you'll want to throw up.