The Left Atrium

Film review SiCKO strikes a chord

SiCKO Written, produced and directed by Michael Moore Alliance Atlantis; 2007 116 min

here’s a scene in Michael Moore’s latest documentary, T SiCKO, in which the populist filmmaker takes 3 boatloads of ill Americans — many of whom are res- cue workers suffering from respiratory illnesses and post-traumatic stress since volunteering at Ground Zero and have been denied sufficient medical care — to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay. Wielding a bull-

horn, Moore demands that these “9/11 Alliance Atlantis heroes” receive the same medical treat- Filmmaker Michael Moore chats up a doctor with the British National Health Service. ment as “the evildoers” of Al-Qaeda being held prisoner there. Getting no response but the sound of alarms, been abysmally treated by their health on the health insurance industry and Moore then takes them to “the enemy” care insurance companies. Health Maintenance Organizations, — a nearby Cuban hospital — for Moore’s message — that the US which appear more interested in re- treatment. health care system is broken — is noth- ducing corporate losses than patient The scene is classic Moore. The US ing new. But there’s no denying the im- care. As one former medical reviewer, filmmaker best known for his previous pact of seeing, on the big screen, close- testifying before the US Congress, controversial films, Bowling for ups of a gashed knee that one poor guiltily recalled: “I was told I was not denying care. I was denying payment.” For many, Moore’s films are like A documentary is “the creative poutine; they either like the big, cheesy dish that he serves up or they’re dis- gusted. Like any good spin doctor, interpretation of actuality.” Moore is adept at cherry-picking truths that propel his storyline and conve- Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, knows fellow is forced to sew up himself, con- niently ignoring those that don’t. In how to pull a good stunt for the cam- fessions from insurance company doc- SiCKO, Moore lauds the socialized eras in order to hammer his point tors who admit to receiving bonuses medicare offered in Canada, England home. With SiCKO, he delivers his for denying claims for medical treat- and, above all, France. To illustrate that most potent and provocative film yet. ment and security camera footage of universal health care has not impover- And whether you like his left-wing poli- disoriented patients being dumped by ished French citizens, Moore visits a tics or not, this film is bound to pro- cabs at skid row shelters after being de- bourgeois family who proudly show off voke outrage, laughter and even tears nied care at hospitals. their luxe home and collection of beach

DOI:10.1503/cmaj.070957 with its stories of Americans who have SiCKO primarily focuses the blame sand from travels around the world;

the ultimate goal is to encourage audi- ences to question their realities. On both sides of the US–Canada border, SiCKO may do more to galva- nize consumers into thinking and car- ing about what they want in health care delivery than any politician’s speech or news story could. SiCKO blends all of Moore’s usual ingredients: inane sound bites from US President George Bush, humorous use of graphics (a Star Wars–like listing of 37 pages of “pre-existing conditions” that will disqualify us from receiving private health care insurance elicited big laughs) and, of course, Moore himself, looming large with his baseball- capped, man-at-the-mall demeanour.

Alliance Atlantis And he serves it up his way — with a “How much for the baby?” asks filmmaker Michael Moore, eliciting laughs from this heavy dose of cheese and gravy British couple. slathered on top of his Freedom fries. Janis Hass BAA but there’s nary a mention of the SiCKO may change their minds about Ottawa, Ont. French tax rates that support their gen- wanting a system in which treatment is erous health care system. determined by how it affects a private One scene in SiCKO that has been (for-profit) health care provider’s bot- REFERENCES 1. Vaughan RM. “I cried for the whole year making subject to much criticism on this side tom line. this film.” The Globe and Mail 2007 June 29;Sect of the border, depicts Moore’s visit to In a summer movie season peppered R:4 an emergency department in London, with mindless fun such as Shrek 3 and 2. Rabiger M. Directing the documentary. Focal Press, Boston, Mass. 1992, p. 17 Ont. To counter tales of long wait the latest Die Hard sequel, it’s SiCKO times in the Canadian system, Moore that will have the most people talking asks a handful of people how long when they leave the cinemas. Moore Janis Hass is a freelance writer and they’ve been waiting for care. Their adeptly taps into a growing population documentary filmmaker. Her documentary, answers range from 20 to 45 minutes who would rather get their dose of Harvest Queens, will air on TVOntario’s at the most. Some Canadian viewers “news” from infotainment shows, such “The View From Here” on Sept. 2, 2007. may be as incredulous as Americans at as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or the brevity of these wait times. In a The Colbert Report, than watch serious newspaper interview, Moore coun- current affairs shows, such as the CBC’s tered that “the film is not supposed to The Fifth Estate or 60 Minutes on CBS. be a balanced portrayal of the Cana- Some Moore critics complain that dian system.” When asked whether his films are not objective. But it’s pru- All forgiveness one inaccurate depiction casts doubt dent to keep in mind that, unlike news on his other arguments, Moore reports seen on television that strive Confession of our faults is the next thing replied, “My job was to show Ameri- for journalistic balance, documentary to innocence. cans one basic truth about your system filmmaking is subjective. John Grier- — Publius Syrus, maxim 1060 … that if you need health care, you’ll son, the founder of the National Film get it. I know that people in Canada Board of Canada, is credited with coin- The art of confession has an illustri- have problems with their system, but ing the term “documentary,” which he ous history: think of St. Augustine your system believes that everyone defined as “the creative interpretation and Rousseau. A fault admitted is gets a share of the pie — sometimes of actuality.”2 The documentary film- more readily forgiven than a fault you get the first piece, sometimes you maker makes a conscious decision in denied, and sometimes there’s a have to wait a little for your slice, but telling a story at each step of the way, good story in it. The Left Atrium 1 you still get your slice.” in deciding whom and what to shoot, welcomes short poems and prose Some Canadians who are unhappy how to set up a shot and how to edit it submissions of up to 1000 words. with how their “slice” is currently deliv- together. The final result is an aes- Confide in us at [email protected] ered often look to the US private health thetic view of how the director sees the care system as the answer. Viewing world through the camera lens, and

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