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What it's about:
Filmmaker Michael Moore takes on America's health system and health insurance in this hard hitting documentary which draws comparisons to the public health systems of other countries. He delves into America's history of privatised healthcare and speaks to a number of patients about their experiences in the system.
What we thought of it:
Michael Moore is a pretty divisive figure, ever since bursting onto the documentary scene with Roger and Me. Staunchly left wing and anti-corporate, he usually elicits scorn from those who oppose his political position with much criticism surrounding his integrity as a documentary maker. To his biggest detractors he's nothing more than a socialist propaganda machine bent on defaming Republicans and dragging America's name through the mud.
Love him or hate him, he has a knack for getting under his country's skin and hitting some very sensitive nerves. Sicko is perhaps his most disturbing film to date, dealing with the sad consequences of a corrupt health insurance monopoly rather than specific incidents and situations (as in Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911). Despite the often downright depressing stories of companies' treatment of their customers (in some cases leaving them to die), Sicko never bores and maintains an entertaining and informative feel.
It's pretty relevant to our situation in South Africa as the divide between public and private health sectors grows and medical aids continue to rake in our cash for questionable returns.
Ultimately though, Sicko does offer a glimmer of hope by showing some examples of working public health sectors across the globe. It's as gripping as any decent thriller and asks some tough questions that every human being should be aware of. Whether you like Moore himself, or his style of filmmaking, Sicko is about the fundamental truths of life, death and the monetary cost of both. Highly recommended.
- Ivan Sadler
Filmmaker Michael Moore takes on America's health system and health insurance in this hard hitting documentary which draws comparisons to the public health systems of other countries. He delves into America's history of privatised healthcare and speaks to a number of patients about their experiences in the system.
What we thought of it:
Michael Moore is a pretty divisive figure, ever since bursting onto the documentary scene with Roger and Me. Staunchly left wing and anti-corporate, he usually elicits scorn from those who oppose his political position with much criticism surrounding his integrity as a documentary maker. To his biggest detractors he's nothing more than a socialist propaganda machine bent on defaming Republicans and dragging America's name through the mud.
Love him or hate him, he has a knack for getting under his country's skin and hitting some very sensitive nerves. Sicko is perhaps his most disturbing film to date, dealing with the sad consequences of a corrupt health insurance monopoly rather than specific incidents and situations (as in Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911). Despite the often downright depressing stories of companies' treatment of their customers (in some cases leaving them to die), Sicko never bores and maintains an entertaining and informative feel.
It's pretty relevant to our situation in South Africa as the divide between public and private health sectors grows and medical aids continue to rake in our cash for questionable returns.
Ultimately though, Sicko does offer a glimmer of hope by showing some examples of working public health sectors across the globe. It's as gripping as any decent thriller and asks some tough questions that every human being should be aware of. Whether you like Moore himself, or his style of filmmaking, Sicko is about the fundamental truths of life, death and the monetary cost of both. Highly recommended.
- Ivan Sadler
