Though Michael Moore has covered a variety of subjects for his documentaries, they all address common themes: corporate greed, the perils of unrestrained globalization and government insensitivity to the working class.
Roger and Me focused on General Motors decision to downsize operations in Michigan and outsource jobs to Mexico; Bowling for Columbine looked at the availability of guns in the United States and its related effects on the incidence of violent crimes.
And his last feature, Fahrenheit 911, dealt with post-911 America – an America governed by a tyrannical president with close ties to Saudi Arabia and the bin Laden family.
Moore is back with his newest feature Sicko, a critique of the American healthcare system, currently playing at Rave theaters.
Sicko is divided into two parts.
The first section deals with stories of people who were denied health care because the insurance companies denied their request for coverage. The second section compares America’s health care system to its counterparts in other countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba.
To buttress his assertion about the infirm nature of American health care, Moore unleashes a litany of sob stories from people who had unhappy experiences with insurance companies and hospitals.
So we hear about a guy who had to choose between his middle and ring fingers after accidentally sawing both off, about a guy whose daughter needed cochlear implants for both ears and about a woman who got billed by her insurer for using an ambulance after she was knocked unconscious in a car accident.
Moore then travels to Canada where he catches a glimpse of its universal public medicare, introduced by Tommy Douglas, no less. Springing to the United Kingdom, Moore learns all drugs there are free for people younger than 16 and older than 60, while everyone else pays a flat rate of 6.65 pounds.
In France, Moore discovers that, besides delivering socialized healthcare for its citizens, the French government also provides help for dirty laundry. Moore briefly passes by Guantanamo and finally ends up at Havana where certain sick hangers-on receive free medical treatment.
There is much to be admired in Sicko: its discriminating use of stock footage, its sharp editing and its effective use of camera close ups, visual gags, enhanced sound effects and voiceover narration. I was less impressed with some exterior camera shots that appeared out of focus before a zoom in; those might be one of his motifs, but it was an unnecessary irritation.
I have always been skeptical of documentaries, historical films and films adapted from real events. For me, films can only expose the human condition through cinematic trickery; hence, they are incapable of chronicling reality, or life as it is. A truthful documentary would defy the “observer effect,” which refers to the inaccuracy of results gotten from observing a subject.
Hence, criticizing Moore for muddling arguments and misrepresenting facts misses the point. His aim is to provide reasons why the United States should adopt universal healthcare. By telling these heartwrenching tales, he frames the debate in terms that are suitable to him. So how does a critic counter the thrust of Moore’s argument by quoting Bastiat’s parable of the Broken Window or preaching on the benefits of the free market? It is a futile effort – pathos cannot be combated with reason.
Ultimately, Sicko remains a genuinely funny, unevenly moving film capable of emboldening supporters of universal health care without winning over its skeptics. Sicko succeeds in execution even as it fails in its objectives, thereby exposing the limitations of Moore’s technique: using humor to address social issues is self-defeating because it makes the viewer feel good about the film and feel worse for himself.
—-Contact Freke Ette at fette@lsureveille.com