Yesterday, we went to preview Michael Moore’s Sicko at the Star Cinema (thanks Joanna!). Both Avinash and myself agree that Moore’s last documentary is way much better than Farenheit 9/11 with which we had not been impressed at all. In fact, I had been totally disappointed with the amateurish cinematography of Farenheit 9/11 and thought it did not deserve the Palme d’Or at all. But, I guess at the time, they wanted to reward Moore’s daring in terms of political content rather than his filmmaking skills…
Moore’s mastery of cinematography and story-telling have much improved since then. In Sicko, he does not use any of the facile tricks he used in Farenheit and he succeeds in providing a compelling narrative that casts hundreds of protagonists: the sad clients of health insurance companies in the USA. He paints a very dark picture of the American health care system whose sole objective seems to be money at the expense of their clients. Moore shows a vast mafia-like organisation that lobbies the American Congress and even buys top politicians including his ‘dear’ friend George Bush so that laws that allow them to literally rob their clients get voted. And he visits several countries (Canada, UK, France and even Cuba) to show how the US system is perverse in comparison.
That film made us not want to live in the US, at all. Even made us thankful that we live in Mauritius where there is a quite decent free public health care. And here I’m specially thinking of my mother who had successful major heart surgery for free a few years ago…
Oh, I watched while I was in Yorkshire, and I cried – esp. when the poor helpers for 9/11 were being discarded by their own gov. It’s just sad and awful.
I’m appalled by the fact that Michael was sued for going to Cuba.
Hey, this is a coincidence.
Yesterday, I watched the following clip (it was not incl. in the movie because Michael thought it would not make the movie credible enough). Check out this clip:
http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/19529-michael-moore-cut-this-scene-from-sicko-because-no-one-would-believe-it
Yes, the current Mauritian health care (to some extent) is way better than the US one (unless one has money to spend).
Madam, did you cry? – just wondering.
@ least, most Mauritians don’t abandon old people who don’t have homes or families, on the road once they are off hospitals. Health is free here.
When the old British man was explaining what The Queen had decreed after the World War, I felt emotionally warm and the speech reminded me of SSR.
I’m off to Norway now. (refer to the clip – url in this post)
–
And I don’t mind waiting @ the hospitals, unless it’s for less than 1 hour.
Note: I’ve some problem posting on your blog – wordpress is detecting duplicates. hmm..
@ ames
I did not know he was being sued… Thanks for the info and the url.
Though I was touched by the film, I did not cry…
And yep, you did post twice (I deleted the duplicate)..
Oops. Not really sued but he can be. He’s currently under investigation.
Again, sorry for the above (he’s not sued yet).
Check out these URLs about his troubles following his trip to Cuba.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05112007/news/nationalnews/moore_trouble_nationalnews_leonard_greene__with_post_wire_services.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1044781720070511?feedType=RSS
watched the movie finally…
no money no cure.
not impressed with this latest..
inconvenient truth is by very far much better.
ciao.
J’ai bien aimé le ce film de Moore que je considère comme étant son meilleur. However, as a French Canadian living aboard now, I can say that his portrayal of the Canadian Care Health System is a little too rosy. Still, it is so much better than the one they have in the US. Unfortunately, I have to deal with it now since I work in the Middle East for an American NGO… Even if you have a “Platinum” insurance policy, there are always “hidden” fees or they (the Insurance company)are always finding a “good” reason not to pay for a claim. Private Health Care is not very good and even if Public Health Care System can be slow sometimes, it will always be better than private.
Maxime
well truth be said, he did raise a fair amount of good points, but he lacked in the credibility part.
he couldn’t give real world evidence of what he was trying to convey.
i honestly believe in a country as powerful as america is capable of worst things that doing a 9/11 incident.
the problem with those dramatisers (if that’s a word) is that they bring up the issues, but fail at referencing them.
in other words conspiracy theories.
but people shouldn’t just say ‘he is full of shit’
they should ackowledge the strength and power of ‘superpowers’ of this world.
which brings me to the point of having a very very open mind.
The one thing this movie does not mentiom os the 50% income tax the people who recieve this “free” healthcare pay from their income.
Not just from the upper middle class, as is the case in America, but everyone.