The Shock Doctrine
Mat Whitecross & Michael Winterbottom Engeland 2009 76 min.
DOCVILLE 2010
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Naomi Klein’s controversial book “The Shock Doctrine” argues that the rise of capitalism in a certain country can often be traced back to a disaster, revolution or war recently hitting that specific country. A comparison is made to the shock therapy psychiatric patients were exposed to in the sixties. Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, who previously worked on “The Road to Guantanamo” together, are now bringing the book to the big screen. Their documentary offers a worrying look at historical events, such as the 1973 military coup led by Pinochet and the fall of the Soviet Union. As the primary treating physician in this economic form of shock therapy, Klein points to economist Morgan Friedman as the main catalyst. In a reconstruction, dotted with old video footage and interviews, Winterbottom and Whitecross show that the introduction of capitalism in a previously non-capitalist country has always led to a small group of people amassing great wealth, while the majority sank down even further into poverty.
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Mat Whitecross & Michael Winterbottom
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