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By: John Wenz
02 February 2007
Marc and Nick Francis want you to know that globalism is unfair.
They drive that point home in "Black Gold," a free-form documentary interspersing scenes of impoverished Ethiopian coffee farmers with western taste for the beans culminating in a World Trade Organization mini-protest.
Starting in Ethiopia, we're introduced to the locals who grow the Harrar beans, regarded by some as one of the most - if not the most - flavorful coffees on the market.
The beans are then shipped out to countries across the world, including Belgium, England and the United States, where they are roasted by various companies.
Our main focus is Tadesse Meskela, the union representative for Oromo Coffee Farmers Co-op. The company strives to increase wages through higher bean prices - even a dollar more per day in wages would represent a significant improvement.From this perspective, we're shown a battle between someone trying to improve his village through fairer prices and the buyers who want to keep things cheap.
However, it's not a continuous battle. The movie reveals that there is often no option, as the buyer simply names his price and makes his purchases without negotiation.
And in the face of low coffee prices, some of the coffee farmers turn instead to selling chat, a narcotic plant that will also grow in coffee fields.
The contrast between the first/second and third world that is weaved throughout the film is an effective one. The staging is meant to display the disparity between Italy, England and the United States when compared to the rampant poverty in Ethiopia.
The presentation of this image, while blatant, helps create the general thesis of the film, which is driven home at the end during the WTO fair. Shortly after, the filmmakers urge viewers to go to their Web site to find out more about fair trade coffee.
The film is undoubtedly a work of propaganda, slanted towards a side that needs it. We aren't often led to think of something as basic as our growing caffeine addiction as a factor in globalization.
Through its minimalism, it drives home the point and not much else. As far as information, the film delivers, presenting a stark but hopeful view throughout its course.
But as a globalization documentary, it's fairly standard. This sentence shouldn't sound as mean-spirited as it does. But there are films more encapsulating and more thorough, such as "Darwin's Nightmare."
But maybe the point isn't to be far-reaching. It's something to generate discussion over a few cups of coffee. The Francis duo just hopes that it's fair trade coffee. Please, think of the Ethiopians.