Inside Job

Matt Damon (narrator)

Dir. Charles Ferguson
Wr. Charles Ferguson, Chad Beck & Adam Bolt

I needed to see this film. I’m not saying it’s the definitive truth behind the global financial crisis of 2008 – I think all documentaries come with a bias. But I really understand very little about the jargon-filled economic world. Charles Ferguson in this compelling doco has done a service to the likes of me and I thank him for it. If you want to better understand what actually happened to the US in 2008, see this film. If you already know, well, good on you smarty-pants.

In this film Ferguson examines the reasons why the recession of 2008, which has cost the world an estimated $20 trillion, happened, who was accountable and whether it will happen again. Explaining the financial sector with the use of diagrams and Matt Damon’s lilting tones, Ferguson speaks to us as laymans without making us feel stupid. It’s a fine line and, personally, I think he walks it well.

The most revealing and interesting aspect of this film are the extensive interviews Ferguson conducts with a range of financial insiders, academics, journalists and politicians. Unlike his fellow documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, Ferguson does not insert himself into the equation, never appearing on screen, which is highly effective and somewhat refreshing. Many people declined to be interviewed for this film (mostly those still inside the machine of the financial sector), but Ferguson has a fascinating array of interviewees, including the Finance Minister of France and the Prime Minister of Singapore, the former especially shedding an important non-American perspective on what ultimately affected the globe.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Ferguson’s analysis is his look at the role and responsibility of academia who are clearly not used to be asked to “please explain”. I have never seen an esteemed academic on film turn so quickly into an evil villain. A great cinematic moment in any genre.

Although frustrating, disheartening and frightening, Inside Job is a great film that will make you smarter. It will also make you want to hide all your money under your mattress.

---------------------------------

Christine Lagarde (French Finance Minister): Holy cow!