The Shock Doctrine

This is the screen version of the newest book of the same name by Canadian journalist and activist Naomi Klein, renowned for . In , Klein argues that the rise of capitalism in various countries can often be traced back to a disaster, revolution, or war, comparable to a kind of shock therapy for the country in question. Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, who directed together, filmed this polemic book, which offers a disturbing, alternative look at historical events like the coup d'état of Pinochet and the fall of the Soviet Union. Klein contends that the concept of the free market economy, one of the United States' most important export products, was never introduced on a voluntary basis in places like Russia, Poland, Chile, South Africa, and the Middle East, but always followed some sort of political catastrophe. As the doctor in charge of this economic shock therapy, Klein points her finger at the economist Morgan Friedman as the chief offender. In this reconstruction full of archive footage and interviews, Winterbottom and Whitecross show how the introduction of capitalism ensured time and time again that a small group of people became very wealthy, while the masses only got poorer. was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year.