They're not gonna take it
Meg Hewings
Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein document an Argentinean uprising
Like a proud politico papa, Avi Lewis is totally engrossed in the process of bringing his first doc into the world. Co-created and co-parented by his wife Naomi Klein (of No Logo fame), The Take is currently being weaned on a healthy mix of mainstream and alternative distribution tactics, nourished by everyone from bigwig theatrical distributor Odeon and the CBC to local grassroots activists and factory workers. Everyone is sharing in Lewis and Klein's discovery of two years ago: that the story of 30 Argentinean auto-parts workers who take over their abandoned former factory and run it collectively is big news.
While Klein is busy writing the Carlyle Group out of a billion bucks in her recent article for The Nation, Lewis maintains his reputation for erudite poise in our early Sunday morning conversation. I'm infected by the former CBC host's earnest enthusiasm as he breezily wades through topics that range from radical pluralist Tupperware parties to recent U.S. military actions, from corporate Canada's increasing wealth to sectarian leftist ideals.
The idea behind The Take, Lewis says, was to find people who were building an alternative to corporate capitalism. The duo headed to southern Brazil and South Africa, looking for what Klein calls "the new impatience," but settled on Argentina when they encountered neighbourhood assemblies that were replacing a collapsing government and a faltering local economy.
Lewis claims that the Forja factory workers he followed
fly in the face of what he calls the defining gesture of our time: the sense of the inevitability of the current model. It makes for inspiring viewing.
A politicized and moving twist on the reality TV genre, The Take avoids the pitfalls of ranting activist demo docs, and skirts away from "expert" talking heads, the drama evolving organically out of the everyday wins and losses of the Forja workers.
Lewis was surprised to find the cutting edge of new activism in the heart of the old economy. "Here we were, this film crew made up of anti-car activists, celebrating the recovery of this auto-parts factory," he marvels. "It was a challenge to the more lifestyle elements of our politics and the privileged aspects of our activism. People have to make shit today - that's the reality of consumer capitalism - so a realistic politics addresses who's making it, where and under what circumstances. These are the topics of Naomi's No Logo."
The Take comes at a pivotal time, as permits come up for review and factories remain at the mercy of local political interests, often unable to cover start-up fees due to a lack of financial resources and community support.
Touring with the film, Lewis and Klein hope that the factory inspires communities on the receiving end of global policy decisions and mistakes. The local and international examples are manifold. Here in Quebec, after promising to update the factory for two decades, Alcan closed their aluminum smelter in Jonquière, cutting 550 jobs. The jilted workers took over the plant, sold $2.1-million worth of aluminum in their first 10 days and productivity went through the roof.
"In the current model, businesses expand using public subsidies, make tons of cash in good times and then declare bankruptcy and skip town after making bad business moves," offers Lewis. "The idea of a democratic locally controlled economy is fundamentally an environmentalist idea. If local communities run factories, they breathe the air and drink the water. It makes sense that they'd be better stewards of industry when they live next to it. Running a business beyond the notion of maximizing profit for shareholders means you can reinvest in environmental safeguards and the productive capacity."
For Lewis, the sense of inevitability most have with regard to the current economic model is the single greatest barrier to actually effecting social change in our country and around the world.
"People are voting for the least of the worst. One guilty encounter in a church basement every four years with a mini-golf pencil where you walk away feeling a little ashamed and deeply dissatisfied - that's not democracy to me."
But he remains optimistic, citing a favourite slogan espoused by one young Argentinean worker: "Our dreams do not fit on your ballots."
The Take
| The Global Economy and Injustices. |
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I recently heard Avi give an inspiring and humourous talk about the global economy where he outlined the difference between the profit driven model and the common sense alternative of redistribution. The Take is a film that gives a fine example of an alternative and inclusive economic practice that was born out of challenges faced by the workers in a factory in Argentina. Popular actions of resistance and change make excellent viewing and this film has positive messages about visionary consensus buliding and inclusive ownership within the framework of a failing economy. The global economy is based on a system of profit where humanitarian considerations rarely factor into the equation. It is therefore delightful to see a film about a locally developed enterprise which radically shifts the economic paradigm with a successful alternative empowered by the workers. This film is one of the new genre of documentary that bring messages of hope to its viewing audience. It inspires discussion which I believe is the mark of a good film and Avi Lewis has made himself available to facilitate such discourse at some of the viewings. The Take has been appealing to wide audiences, therefore the message has become more integrated into the mainstream. Is my understanding that Avi Lewis is returning to CBC in the fall with a new program of documentaries followed by panel discussion. I appreciate his outspoken and refreshing style of journalism and activism and look forward to more global insights from Avi Lewis.
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Heather Tufts
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This film should be required viewing for all economics majors in universities. As a commerce graduate myself I found the film very informative though a bit biased towards the workers we are supposed to sympathize with. The interviews with the former owners cast them in a bad light with their superior attitudes and the help they expected from their government friends to return their businesses. However even as the so called bad guys, according to the rule of law they deserved to be compensated as in every normal expropriation.
It took many months for the foundry to return under the control of the workers. In the meantime you could see the stress that it caused to their personal family lives. The factory looks old and dirty with all kinds of heavy equipment. I saw the workers wear protective goggles but they also need ear protection if they do not want to go deaf and not be able to understand the first words of their grandchildren. I wondered if they will get sick days plus maternity and paternity leave which their former bosses were very reluctant to provide. Having everyone earn the same wage will protect lazy workers and not reward those who are the most ingenious and productive. Who decides who gets hired or fired? Do you need to have connections such as relatives to get in?
Over the long run the machinery has to be modernized and this requires a huge capital investment that the worker owners may not be willing to provide. With the high price of energy, efficient machines are essential. Newer equipment would be safer and produce more better quality parts per workshift. If ignored their standard of living would drop from falling salaries if they wanted to stay profitable in the face of competition from other countries.
Here in Quebec the Caisse Populaires are a cooperative success story. Yet they had to introduce the detested service fees in order to remain competitive. But every year a portion of the profits are returned to its member owners.
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Stephen Talko
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{1 vote}
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| Beautiful: but how about the rest of us? |
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Klein and Lewis have made a wonderful documentary that illustrates that it is both necessary and possible to create an alternative to the capitalist system. It's truly inspiring to witness the workers' struggles and achievements in this film. But there are some things I think they could have added. Firslty, 'socialism' or 'Marx' are never mentioned in this film, even if the new system the filmmakers are documenting could easliy be referred to as socialist. One other thing is that they never really connect the struggles of thse workers to the struggles of all workers around the world, even if it is esentially the same system that we are all subjected to. In my view, for this film to be a truly poltical film, it would make these connections.
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Emma Dook
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| The Take - A statement for change |
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The whole point of THE TAKE is to show that there are viable alternatives to the current capitalist system. Cooperativism is something that can work at an economical and governmental level. It is working in factories and neighborhoods in Argentina, and in Mexico the Zapatistas have a cooperative system.
The way Lewis and Klein expose the reality of people who acted out of desperation to get back their jobs and were able to create an environment that was fair and equitable for them all, should influence other people to do the same.
I deeply hope that after watching this movie people realize that they can change things just by participating and taking action.
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Debora Gerszonowitz
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{24 votes}
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...seeing the take and listening to avi lewis' thoughts following the screening of the take at cinema du parc last saturday night midst the clamorings for his attention by the small group of half a dozen or more individuals with questions and interpetations to offer and to share (..and one gentleman as declared by avi as 'not willing to participate in a debate...' a rather ironic gesture on the part of avi i thought..) left me with further feelings as the days and evenings past prior to reading meg hewings' article:
the beast called capitalism has captivated a class of individuals to remain transfixed along the sidelines -- and whether the wings of leftism and rightism recognise this or not they too have become infected with this rather cunning creature: while the right pursues the un-mitigated levels of potential profits at the behest of all other factors - the left remains caught within a sludge of anti-capitalistic rhetoric and anti-logos chantings that to truly overtake the creature-beast called capitalism -- the first sacrifice to be performed must be the semantic tongue lashings that usually defines an individual's 'political barometer':
before the mirror we all stand personally accountable to whom we must be onto ourselves first and foremost: a drunk man or woman doesn't have the perspective to drive their car from montreal to ottawa let alone around the block on any given evening or night:
avi and namoi have created a very powerful film examining the need for overturning a system that has become a tool that still needs to be mastered and not hoarded by the one-side and shunned like a bastard child by the other side of the 'political barometer': we must recognise within ourselves a need to move past the fears and the apathy that the creature beast called capitalism has been allowed to create - and while avi and namoi do make a very provacutive argument for change: can they themselves move past their own sleight rhetoric to understand the depths.
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Gary Womac
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{52 votes}
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| THE TAKE: the anti-CORPORATION |
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Once again a documentary comes to the rescue of moviegoers fed up of endless remakes and big budget bombs.
Pretty much the story of the year if you think about it.
I think that it's pretty much a given that the big category to keep an eye on at next year's Oscars is going to be the documentaries.
Now we can add another project for your consideration. THE TAKE is like the anti-CORPORATION in that it's all about the power of the worker and finding a new way to keep the local economy going without selling out yourself or your soul. So you think that world is going straight to hell and that you're helpless before the tyranny of the establishment? Watch this movie and tell me that hope, ingenuity and hard work can't change the world one piece at a time.
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Pedro Eggers
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{33 votes}
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You have always been the voice of the people...Now, you gave us an example to follow...
Have you you shown your film in Iraq?
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Munir El Kadi
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This movie sounds great! Imagine sticking it to your boss and making a go of things by yourself. Who hasn't dreamt of this? It feels like this year documentaries are getting better and better all the time. You can bet that I'm going to see it very soon!
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Sam Truglio
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{23 votes}
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