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Movie Review: “Starving The Beast” Leaves You Feeling Cheap

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“Starving The Beast” examines the on-going power struggle on college campuses across the nation as political and market-oriented forces push to disrupt and reform America’s public universities.

The topic of education reform and funding for Higher Education has always been one of fierce debate. It’s been used in numerous political campaigns throughout the world and many a union meeting room. Director and Writer Steve Mims (“Arlo and Julie”), (“Incendiary: The Willingham Case”) provides a crash course on the ongoing power struggle taking place across every college campus in the US, where the debate over funding rages. This documentary focuses primarily on the University of Wisconsin, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, Louisiana State University, University of Texas and Texas A&M where the financial stakes are high and the outcome could shape the education system as much as line people’s pockets. The film provides a good introduction to an extremely complicated subject. Unfortunately, due to education being a local problem with the specific facts changing from state-to-state, it hardly receives any national media attention.

“Starving the Beast” opens with Democratic strategist James Carville presenting a commencement speech at LSU, warning about falling affordable schooling under the Republicans. What follows is a series of predictions about the quality of the education system if the Republicans get their way. To be fair though, Mims does allow the other side to present their arguments, giving them as much screen time as those who think that reducing spending is the sensible way forward. Sensible to them but not to the thousands of students, teachers and parents who think turning educational institutions into consumer focused institutions is the best way to help educate the country’s future. I won’t pretend to say I understand the financial aspects and political impact this documentary delves into, I never went to college in the US but I have friends who have and the financial burden is tremendous. While both sides are presented equally, I was disappointed that Mims didn’t get more out of the student side of this debate – the students who don’t quite understand the potential impact this could have on them in the future. The interviews were interesting but sometimes the content was so dry it left the viewer a bit disinterested. Interviews with noted hardcore Republic politicians such as the Governors of Virginia and North Carolina, Rick Perry of Texas to Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, not to mention the Republican Governors of Virginia and North Carolina were on the list… I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty dry.

Filmmaker Steve Mims has created a balanced and educational film that allows the view points of both those who want to twist colleges into a “consumer orientated organization” and those who wish to push for a less consumer driven education system to present their side. Throughout, it is obvious what side Mims is on, with his viewpoint only growing stronger as he delves deeper into the hypocrisy and heated debates still raging now. While there are some holes and points of view I would have liked explored more, that withstanding, “Starving the Beast” is a decent effort at a complex topic. Mim’s obvious point of view on this topic will also win a lot of fans over as it does spill over a little into the film, diluting the bias.

In select theaters September 9th

Starving the Beast Trailer from Steve Mims on Vimeo.
 
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