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The Take
Under discussion:
The Take
(2004)
The Take
(2004) is an Avi Lewis/Naomi Kline documentary about workers in
Argentina
trying to take over factories which have closed down. The film says the idea arose when Naomi Kline, author of the best-selling
No Logo
, was repeated asked by a right-wing interviewer, “You’re against globalization, but what are you
for
?” Afterwards, Kline thought it was a good point and set about exploring alternatives.
Here’s the story about
Argentina
that you do
not
get in the movie. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) beneficently tries to help a struggling
Argentina
, but the economy gets into serious trouble. Multinational companies and big business leaders wisely pull out their money and some workers naturally lose their jobs. These felonious workers then steal the factories, occupying them, and running them.
Here’s the story about
Argentina
that you
do
get. Although
Argentina
was at one time a wonderfully prosperous place, the policies of the IMF and the corrupt Menom government destroyed the economy through Wild West capitalism and globalization. Overnight, multinational companies and big business leaders took more than 40 billion dollars out of the sinking country. Banks barred their doors and would not let ordinary people withdraw their money. Unemployment in many areas rose to 50%. Workers wanted to reopen factories. In order to take over the moth-balled factories, the workers have to accomplish many things. They have to document that the owners violated the foreclosure laws and stripped things out of the factory (this is not difficult to document). They have to put together an acceptable business plan (this takes a lot of work for people who are labourers) and get legal and/or legislative approval (this is very difficult). In the meantime, dozens of people work for nothing, cleaning the factories, repairing equipment, and getting ready for production. Throughout this extended process, the owners, the government, and/or the police may shut down the operation at any time.
If you believe the first version, you will find this documentary infuriating. If you believe the second version, you will get an insight into the heartbreak and the determination of the average Argentine worker caught in political and economic systems that seem to have nothing to do with taking care of a family or allowing people to build self-esteem. I liked this documentary because it told me about something I knew nothing about, took me to a world completely outside my everyday experience and made me feel a little bit of what it was like to live in that world.
Jim Bell
posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 1:52 AM by
JimBell
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