Black Gold Film Review
Rating: 2/5
2006, UK.
Certificate U.
Duration: 77 mins.
Directors: Mark Francis, Nick Francis
This week I experienced “Black Gold”, at my first Nice and Serious film night. Which, for some unknown reason, clashed horrendously with the World Cup semi final match between Uruguay and Holland. However, as I have a combined interest (and degree!) in environment and development, I suppressed my inner lad and was looking forward to an interesting film. Regrettably, my hopes were misplaced…
Black Gold is all about the coffee industry, not oil as its name might suggest, juxtaposing the lives of coffee farmers in Ethiopia with the lives of Americans. As predicted, the difference between the price that the Ethiopian farmers receive for their coffee and what an American pays in a coffee shop is shocking. Unfortunately, this is where the drama ends. The remainder of the film contains little more information and only brief stimulation when it demonstrates how the World Trade Organisation is failing developing countries.
After introducing the low price of raw coffee beans, the reliance of Ethiopia on coffee exports, and the unfairness of trade between the industrialised North and developing South, Black Gold’s storyline becomes stagnant. The contrast between the USA and Ethiopia is very interesting and worthwhile, but after 15 minutes you have got the message and are ready to move on. Unfortunately the Directors were not. As a result, the rest of the film is spent hammering home the same messages and switching unpredictably between inane interviews in the USA and dull meetings in Ethiopia.
Black Gold fails to entertain the viewer as it lacks any form of storyline. The directionless film bores you and fails to investigate why these huge price disparities exist. Instead, the film makes numerous statements of facts, in an attempt to shock the viewer, without any discussion or further explanation. This was severely frustrating and made me ask the rest of the Nice and Serious team: why weren’t we watching the football?!
What’s more, the shaky camera work, poorly positioned interviewees and low quality footage further add to the general feeling of dismay that the film induces. This feeling swelled inside me so much that after an hour of viewing I was forced to use my (well known brand of) smartphone to watch the remainder of the world cup game online. Much to my delight the game streamed seamlessly to my phone, allowing me to watch it whilst shouting occasional criticisms at the terrible documentary that had taken over the Nice and Serious TV.
The key message that Black Gold is trying to communicate is an important one, and I think that the first 15 minutes of the film do that quite well. As a result I will try even harder to buy fair trade coffee in the future. However, as the film fails to move on from its original comparisons and seems to lack anything remotely like a storyline I can only award it 2 out 5. If you have a spare moment, I would recommend watching the first 15 minutes. If not, then just make sure you buy fair trade coffee. Although if you’re reading this, then I guess you already do.
After introducing the low price of raw coffee beans, the reliance of Ethiopia on coffee exports, and the unfairness of trade between the industrialised North and developing South, Black Gold’s storyline becomes stagnant. The contrast between the USA and Ethiopia is very interesting and worthwhile, but after 15 minutes you have got the message and are ready to move on. Unfortunately the Directors were not. As a result, the rest of the film is spent hammering home the same messages and switching unpredictably between inane interviews in the USA and dull meetings in Ethiopia.
Black Gold fails to entertain the viewer as it lacks any form of storyline. The directionless film bores you and fails to investigate why these huge price disparities exist. Instead, the film makes numerous statements of facts, in an attempt to shock the viewer, without any discussion or further explanation. This was severely frustrating and made me ask the rest of the Nice and Serious team: why weren’t we watching the football?!
What’s more, the shaky camera work, poorly positioned interviewees and low quality footage further add to the general feeling of dismay that the film induces. This feeling swelled inside me so much that after an hour of viewing I was forced to use my (well known brand of) smartphone to watch the remainder of the world cup game online. Much to my delight the game streamed seamlessly to my phone, allowing me to watch it whilst shouting occasional criticisms at the terrible documentary that had taken over the Nice and Serious TV.
The key message that Black Gold is trying to communicate is an important one, and I think that the first 15 minutes of the film do that quite well. As a result I will try even harder to buy fair trade coffee in the future. However, as the film fails to move on from its original comparisons and seems to lack anything remotely like a storyline I can only award it 2 out 5. If you have a spare moment, I would recommend watching the first 15 minutes. If not, then just make sure you buy fair trade coffee. Although if you’re reading this, then I guess you already do.
About the Author
Ben Gill
Ben has a combined degree in Environmental Sciences and International Development from the University of East Anglia. His concern for the planet stems from his passion for the outdoors and extensive travel experience. He has worked in Sweden, volunteered in Fiji and studied in Australia. As well as 3 years of adventures with the RAF, Ben has an unusual affinity for sharks and an irrepressible desire to go scuba diving. Before joining Nice and Serious, Ben worked on various documentary series for the BBC, Discovery Channel, Channel 4 and Channel 5. He believes that audiovisual communication is the future, and that the best way to engage people in environmental issues is via entertaining education.
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