Manufacturing Dissent Review

Back again, just in time for your late morning "clicking and frowning so I look like I'm doing work" web surfing. Here's my thoughts on the critical doc about Michael Moore, Manufacturing Dissent.

Manufacturing Dissent
(Canada/Australia 2007, directed by Debbie Melnyk & Rick Caine)

Michael Moore is undoubtedly a polarising figure, even for us here in Canada who are not directly involved in American politics. Canadian directors Rick Caine and Debbie Melnyk begin their documentary claiming to be fans of Moore who want an interview with the larger than life figure. There are some questions, you see, about his methods and some accusations of outright lies. Although she doth protest, Melnyk's voice over gives away from almost the first moment that the innocent act is simply a narrative structure for what will be damning arguments against Moore and his films. I do not doubt much of the evidence raised by this film, however I was disappointed from the outset that Melnyk decided to push an ignorance of Moore that she obviously did not have by the end of her research. It's fine to learn things as you go in a documentary, but they should change your outlook and approach. When you hit the "oh shucks, I'm just an innocent Canadian" note one too many times it just feels like manipulation.

Caine and Melnyk follow Moore around the United States on his "Slacker Rebellion" campus tour. In public Moore proves to be a good showman, loud and obnoxious, as he gets the student body fired up about voting and hating President Bush. Interviews with Moore's old friends, business associates and critics greatly expands the discussion. For me these were the most entertaining and illuminating parts of the film. Moore's unique mix of media mogul / tyrannical boss / everyday slob gives plenty of good ammo for funny quips and recollections. Paranoid megalomaniac or tireless crusader? Perhaps Moore is both. The film also makes good use of Moore's inability to confront criticism. Moore makes lame excuse after lame excuse as to why he cannot do an interview with Melnyk, and then finally has his cronies kick the director out of a talk he is giving about free speech. The irony is perfect. For a man who spends a large amount of his on-screen time hounding his subjects and berating them into one sided arguments, Moore obviously has trouble under the scrutiny of the camera's critical eye.

Although I had difficulties with the essential tone of the film, the evidence presented of Moore's half truths and lies is still compelling. Footage cut out of context, hidden interviews, and plain old made up events are uncovered in Moore's entire body of work. For documentary fans the idea of selective editing is part and parcel to what we expect. Liberties are always taken to make real life more convenient to the story, and more interesting to the viewer. There is a line, however, between liberties and lies. I would have greater respect for "Manufacturing Dissent" if the film makers had chosen to be direct in their accusations. When they have a chance to confront Moore face to face they nod blankly and hide behind their polite Canadian personas. They use a method of accusation, clip that appears to support accusation, and final word to structure their entire argument. In the end, they use the same methods as Moore to win audience approval and limit the amount we will question. While Manufacturing Dissent was undoubtedly well intentioned, the film was weakened by manipulative direction that undermined the strong (but relatively few) concrete examples they had of Moore's deceptions. 3 out of 5