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An examination of our dietary choices and the food we put in our bodies. Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s memoir.
To determine the originality of Christopher Dillon Quinn’s “Eating Animals” (based off the book by Jonathan Safran Foer) would require one to consider the countless other documentaries that concern themselves with humankind’s relationship with animals and their being a source of food, from “Earthlings” to “Food, Inc.” This subject’s popularity could even be traced to Morgan Spurlock’s own McDonald’s based experiment, “Super Size Me,” a wildly successful portrait of the effects of fast-food on the human body. Just as the Food Network has amassed its own following, the food industry documentary has followed suit.
Unfortunately, there has also been the subgenre’s fair share of drawbacks as well, from relying purely on scare tactics to fetishizing the undeniably awful conditions of factory farming in hopes of reaching larger audiences. As much as there is to be said about the matter at hand, audiences seem to have just as much to discuss about the principles of these films themselves. Does “Eating Animals” sidestep any of these things? Unfortunately, no.
Of course, there are still moments that evoke shock and a desire for change, and a necessary change at that. “Eating Animals’” focuses on environmentalism makes sure of that. But Quinn’s seemingly favorite documentary technique is a faux-philosophical bent that seems to betray the film’s desire for an unromantic portrayal of the food industry. With narration by Natalie Portman, an outspoken proponent of veganism, the awkward attempts at poetic anecdotes recall Johnny Depp’s work on “When You’re Strange.” The disappointingly impersonal inclusion of Portman gives the impression of only adding her on for name recognition.
Similar histories are a retread, from Colonel Sanders’ creation of KFC to the ghastliness of Chicken McNuggets, and Quinn doesn’t seem to retain enough confidence in what he’s trying to portray, opting instead for what the audience has been “exposed to,” countless times. Coupled with the film’s attempts at guerilla-style documentary filmmaking (which amounts to little more than some shaky-cam footage of cows on an outdoor farm complex), and the obvious fetishization of unsettling imagery and poverty, Quinn seems to be doing little more than checking off boxes for a food industry documentary.
However, he does sometimes reveal a sympathetic eye, when trained on more independent figures caught up in such a system, from the impressively knowledgeable (when it comes to his chickens and turkeys) Frank Reese, a breeder for local county fair, or Craig, a Perdue worker crushed beneath debt stemming from the corporation, who can’t even be the effective whistle-blower he wants to be, lest he amass even more debt. Yet those who would have the opportunity to say something new on the matter are given frustratingly little screen time; perhaps a film focusing on figures such as these would be the genre’s comprehensive document.
There is a heartbreaking moment when Reese, who lovingly cares for his fowl, has to send them off to the county fair, where they will be purchased for nothing more than consumption. Reese experiences a paradox of thought, knowing this is the outcome of his profession, but still not wanting it regardless. Such a portrait of a man recalls the work of Errol Morris, who would allow his subjects to reach their own conclusions, contradictions, inconsistencies, warts and all. Unfortunately, this is short-lived, and “Eating Animals” once again continues to say little new, not allowing those who may have the most to say to speak their part.
In select theaters Friday, June 29th
