“Americonned” is a brilliant – but depressing – documentary, not because it presents new information about wealth inequality in the United States, but how well it breaks it all down and puts it right in your face. It’s a film that has a direct call to action to those who watch it and by the end, it’s hard to deny that this is a critical point for people to make their voices heard in the battle for better wages and a redistribution of American wealth.

What really makes this documentary hit its mark is showing how hard the lives of various people become as the cost of living gets higher and their wages stay the same. The sheer uncertainty of their situation is relatable for many of us, and footage of people explaining why the middle class has eroded and why the deck is stacked against the average person is woven in between to give it all more context. The editing of the film in general is great, and it doesn’t focus on just one person or aspect of the problem for too long; it does a good job of painting a complete picture of how our economy got to this state.

The main takeaway from “Americonned” is that America is on the precipice of great economic change and if left unchecked, the change will be disastrous for all but the wealthiest citizens. People in the film say that if Americans can’t secure better rights for workers now, the impending robotics and AI revolution will leave even more people living below the poverty line.

The film also shows that workers standing up and making the decision to fight for better wages and conditions is just the first step as companies have invested millions or billions in lobbies and groups directly opposed to unions and workers’ rights in general. It’s a series of hurdles that have been built piece by piece over the last few decades as politicians on the right and the left have worked to make the rich richer while convincing the average workers that unions are the enemy.

The end of the documentary is the only part that offers a faint glimmer of hope as footage is shown of Amazon workers in Staten Island forming a successful union and other small victories in this national war for wealth equality.

It’s an interesting documentary that is extremely well made, and it delivers a great deal of relevant information in a way that is easy to understand both in a historical context and a modern one. “Americonned” is easy to recommend as a must-see film, and I'm sure it will be shown in many classrooms in years to come.

Author Bio:

Ulises Duenas is a senior writer at Highbrow Magazine.

For Highbrow Magazine