Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

bob the moo If I may begin with a quote from The Wire I will because, when considering this film the phrase "all the pieces matter" did come to my mind. The film presents itself as another in a recent line of documentaries that very much appeal to people of my demographic because it puts an unacceptable situation in front of us and challenges the way we live our lives and allow our lives to be lived. In the case of Black Gold, the subject is coffee and, as a "fair trade" buyer of some time I was looking to have my opinion of the subject informed.The structure of the film looks at coffee in Ethiopia, Seattle, London and so on as it paints a picture of situation where what the growers get paid is a shameful pittance compared to the amount the western coffee drinker would pay for even a home-made cup from granules. It should be shockingly compelling stuff and I was astonishing to find that it was not at all like this. It is maybe a failing in the structure because the makers seem to have had great access to the subject through Tadessa Meskela, who leads a cooperative of Ethiopian coffee farmers. This does mean that we spend too much time at his level and seeing things with his eyes, which works but is not the best way of carrying the film. Of course this needs to be part of it but it is almost the all.What it badly needed was a much wider view. OK the corporations unsurprisingly did not wish to take part in this film but it badly needs some evidence of them and their role in the pricing. Without this focus the film doesn't really offer many answers or present a driver for the terrible situations it lets us see. To some viewers I'm sure this will be praise worthy because a documentary need not be about emotion and banging a drum but this does not mean it needs to be lacking in heart just because it is not a Michael Moore polemic. The lack of heart does not come from the subject but rather the delivery; it is a bit all over the place and I'm not entirely sure what some section were designed to achieve – a tasting in Starbucks seems like time wasted in an already short run time.Overall then this is a so-so film but given the subject and the plight of the growers, even the kindest viewer would admit this film is more missed potential than delivery. Positive reviews tend to praise it for its intension and I do not begrudge them this. The proof though, is in the pudding and that is where the film should be judged. Sadly it is poorly structure and doesn't ever get a handle on the subject in a way that isn't that compelling or challenging – and considering everything that is a shocking failure.

Andres Zambrano What makes "Black Gold", One of the best at The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, is that not only is it a well made film, it has a point. And a very very important point.In the opening scenes of "Black Gold", The camera slowly rolls through expert coffee tasters, who taste "The Best Coffee in the world". The camera quickly switches gears to Addis Abbaba, in Ethiopia, where it shows the coffee storage places, and the workers in it. What apt movie watchers will soon understand, is that the great filmmakers switch between the luxurious life of drinking coffee, and how a ton of workers dig it out, just to get paid 20 cents.The ravishingly intellectual filmmakers then switch to 1 man: Tadesse Meskela, General Manager, Oromo Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union, Ethiopia. He travels great distances to advertise his coffee, but his main goal is his farmers. He wants his farmers to get paid what they really deserve.This film has other points as well, such as the power of imperialist countries, as well as the multi-millionaire companies that sell what they don't really deserve.Black Gold is a must see.

rdahlby80 A insightful and disturbing look at the inner workings of the coffee industry. This should be required viewing for anyone that takes a sip of coffee after the release of the movie. A great piece of journalism that bluntly demonstrates the inequality and poverty of growers as shown through the Ethiopian farmers.I can only hope that visibility from this movie prompts something other than defensiveness from the multinationals. Do what you can to see this movie.Also interesting is the demographic breakdown of IMDb voting in the United States versus outside as well as with males 45+ - take a look.

afrotrash A fantastic insight into the coffee trade, especially in light of the fact that many may protest about the rate of Starbucks' hitting street corners despite few knowing the real facts of international coffee culture and trade.The strength with which this documentary gets to grips with trade barriers, price fixing in the industry and the falsehoods that Coffee Houses provide (to give the impression of caring about free trade produce) gives the viewer a really good understanding of a problem that exemplifies the facts of world economics at large.Was lucky to catch this film at the NFT in London and thought it was a seriously captivating documentary, largely as a result of the power of the stories the camera was able to provide. The sight of the malnourished child (though not under-nourished enough for aid treatment), although witnessed countless times before in other settings, remained poignant. The juxtaposition of the Barista competition in Seattle against the shots of the Ethiopian coffee traditions was a timely reminder of the differences in lifestyles that continue in the world, despite our proclamations of globalisation and the world effectively becoming smaller.It would be wrong to call this 'another Michael Moore flick', but it would be a shame if this film did not cause the same level of debate