Forevergreen Sponsors Pro-Vegan Documentary
Mary Bubar
Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: Features
Eleni Vlachos presented her anti-animal-abuse documentary Seeing Through the Fence in Bryan Jr. auditorium on Tuesday night.
A pro-vegan film with a heavy nod toward the directorial stylings of Michael Moore, this documentary is humorous and thought provoking. Vlachos presents us with a visual parade of man on the street interviews interspersed with brutal factory farm footage overlaid with disturbing facts.
Her benign interrogation reveals the thinking of an eclectic mixture of people, from her meat-eating family members, to disgruntled former meat-plant workers, to staunch vegans. Vlachos provokes them to explore their relationship between the food we eat and the animals that provide that food.
She documents the often-contradictory responses of everyday people as they express their rights as superior beings to eat meat. The film introduces the viewer to "Mr. average middle-class guy, "who adheres to "the Judeo-Christian view that God gave us animals and he put us in charge." We hear this same man later on in the documentary state that people should be punished for animal cruelty.
Vlachos casts her father as a representative of the un-enlightened meat-eating older generation. He embodies the mindset that feels no need to change and is firm in his stance of 'why change something that has worked for us forever."
However, the film is forgiving to its meat-eating subjects. Vlachos does not portray any of the individuals she interviews as ill willed or ignorant towards the plight of animal cruelty. They just don't see the relationship between their dinner and its origin…yet.
The informed audience watching the film learns that government-subsidized farm factories are a far cry from the family farm of days gone past.
Cruel images of terrorized cows being slaughtered after spending their existence in a cramped pen are included in the film in hopes of enlightening the audience.
"This is the kind of movie I wish everyone would watch, because it can really make you think about the effects your diet has on the world," said junior and Forevergreen treasurer AnneMarie Drolet.
A pro-vegan film with a heavy nod toward the directorial stylings of Michael Moore, this documentary is humorous and thought provoking. Vlachos presents us with a visual parade of man on the street interviews interspersed with brutal factory farm footage overlaid with disturbing facts.
Her benign interrogation reveals the thinking of an eclectic mixture of people, from her meat-eating family members, to disgruntled former meat-plant workers, to staunch vegans. Vlachos provokes them to explore their relationship between the food we eat and the animals that provide that food.
She documents the often-contradictory responses of everyday people as they express their rights as superior beings to eat meat. The film introduces the viewer to "Mr. average middle-class guy, "who adheres to "the Judeo-Christian view that God gave us animals and he put us in charge." We hear this same man later on in the documentary state that people should be punished for animal cruelty.
Vlachos casts her father as a representative of the un-enlightened meat-eating older generation. He embodies the mindset that feels no need to change and is firm in his stance of 'why change something that has worked for us forever."
However, the film is forgiving to its meat-eating subjects. Vlachos does not portray any of the individuals she interviews as ill willed or ignorant towards the plight of animal cruelty. They just don't see the relationship between their dinner and its origin…yet.
The informed audience watching the film learns that government-subsidized farm factories are a far cry from the family farm of days gone past.
Cruel images of terrorized cows being slaughtered after spending their existence in a cramped pen are included in the film in hopes of enlightening the audience.
"This is the kind of movie I wish everyone would watch, because it can really make you think about the effects your diet has on the world," said junior and Forevergreen treasurer AnneMarie Drolet.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
MaryF
posted 9/12/08 @ 10:10 AM EST
It sounds like a must-see!!
April
posted 9/12/08 @ 2:13 PM EST
Wow! Thanks to people like Vlachos who use their creativity to better the world for future generations! Bravo! This is the true spirit of an artist!
skippy
posted 9/15/08 @ 4:51 PM EST
The millions of farmers who make a living raising animals for the food chain this is a slap in the face. Not only does the animal rights movement care nothing for humans nor do they care how many farmers they will put on soup kitchens lines. (Continued…)
Kyle
posted 9/16/08 @ 1:15 PM EST
It sounds like a great film! One that will inspire people to really think about the human-animal relationship when it comes to food, environment, and health. (Continued…)
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