The Corporation (2004)

Sharp indictment of the corporate mindset and the blithe disregard for humanity that mindset entails. In the words of Jose, it's Lefty with a capital L, but it's also remarkably thorough and precise (at 145 minutes, it'd better be thorough), and it resists capitulation to the kind of scattershot agitprop tactics that mar even the best works of, say, Michael Moore. In the interest of fairness, some CEOs and other various conservatives get chances to sound off; while I can't say this feature makes the film feel any less aggressive in its bias, it does allow plenty of time for the film's most fascinating find -- Interface CEO Ray Anderson, a man who seems genuinely conflicted and pained by his copmpany's negative impact on the world. His struggles to make his company self-sustaining provide one of the many rays of hope that manage to shoot out from this film's bleak-at-first-glace outlook. Troubling stuff, this, but also possessed of an undeniable power that makes it feel essential. (You may find yourself disagreeing, though, if your sympathies line up more concordantly with, say, the guy from the thinktank.)

Grade: B+