The film Fast Food Nation presents the dark side of the fast food industry. The director Richard Linklater use many bloody scenes to represent how fast meal be made, like when workers killing a cattle auidences can see the bloodletting and head of a cattle. This make me feel that dose those innocent creatures should be treated like this? Do those fast food makers know what are they actually doing?
Amber was a Mickey's waiter before she made the decision that she doesn't want to keep working at Mickey. When she was working at Mickey, what she only knew is this job can pay her money and could possibly make her life more easy. Amber made the decision after she gets the process of how people make barbecue burger and how those poor cattles be treated. This is a unbelievable fact that Amber is hardly to accept. So, Amber organises a team with other people to save cattles and give those innocent creatures freedom. However the outcome is those cattles seem more likely to be killed and they don't care about their freedom. So, Amber and her peers' action dosen't impact too much to the fast food industry.
In my opinion, this film's purpose is not try to tell that people should not eat fast food after they watch the bloody scenes. We can see the point from the end of the film, some people have tried to change the fact and someone like Don has know the dark side of the fast food, but, everyting still goes as usual. When I was watching the driver with sun glass is ready to send more workers to the Mickey, I felt this is just a fact and no one can change that. Today, I think everyone probably knows this fact but they still go to MacDonald, KFC to enjoy their meal. Mexicans have to live, so they do this job. Don have to make sure his Mickey will not close down, so he is not going to get more details about fast food making process. Amber tried to change, but nothing changed. The free door is in front of those cattles but they don't try to make step. This is just a hopeless and can not help fact.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks for going into more detail about the movie. You portray the depressing message quite well, and you have discussed in-depth not only Amber's perspective, but also the whole construct of the movie.
To improve your mark, further research from other sources would help. For example, you might want to read on-line reviews of the movie, and add a quote from a critic as to whether the movie was regarded as successful and interesting, or not. You can also find out about other films by Linklater - is this film typical or different from his usual works? Or you might want to find out about the fact that the movie is actually based on a book. There are other angles, like comparing it to the documentary "Super Size Me" etc... And then there are artists and culture jammers that HAVE gone out on a limb to criticise McDonalds - such as Ron English. So, many other angles to look at!
Tessa X