Rated (PG) Documentary

I was worried when Mark Achbar, one of the filmmakers, introduced this film at a preview and said it was 150 minutes long. Was a documentary on the problems corporations create for society going to be interesting enough to hold my attention for that long?

It was and it did.

There are many talking heads, but they are usually brief, to the point and insightful and often have frightening comments. For example, the first thing the commodities trader thought of when he heard what was happening on September 11, 2001, was, "How much is gold up?"

It builds the case very well that corporations are powerful, dangerous and even psychopathic. This is not because of the people who work in them but the system within which they have to operate. The documentary demonstrates the psychopathic behaviour of corporations: the callous unconcern for the feelings of others, an incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, reckless disregard for the safety of others, deceitfulness (repeated lying and conning others for profit), an incapacity to experience guilt and failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviour.

It is not, however, a diatribe — it's a well-argued case — with many of the defence witnesses, unwittingly, strengthening the case. It even has a hero: Ray Anderson, Chief Executive of Interface Carpets. Anderson, a convert to environmentalism, says he and his fellow magnates are plunderers wreaking "generational tyranny" — destroying the planet without the consent of the unborn who will have to live here, generations down the line.

Even-handed in its approach, the film nonetheless leaves you with a much-increased concern over the new corporate world order. In a similar vein to John Pilger's book The New Rulers of the World, it makes you worry whether we have governments of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations.

The corporately-owned major cinema chains are not rushing to show you this documentary, but it may be coming soon to an independent cinema near you. It's worth trying to get there to see it.

Ian McGregor, Lecturer, Faculty of Business, University of Technology Sydney.