Should The Corporation show Kaagaz?

Dir. by- Mark Achbar & Jennifer Abbot

2003| 165 mins

The Corporation emerged as a legal 'person' in the mid-1800s. With a 'personality' driven solely by self-interest, the corporation rose to prominence throughout the course of the following century. The Corporation is a 165-min long documentary based on Joel Bakan’s book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power that explores the nature and the exponential rise of corporations in the modern world and delivers a critique of corporate behaviour through a psychological lens, categorizing the corporation as a psychopathic entity. The film includes interviews with 40 prominent executives and critics of the corporate world – including Noam Chomsky, Milton Friedman, Naomi Klein, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, and Vandana Shiva. Using case studies ranging from Union Carbide’s 1984 Bhopal disaster1 to Monsanto’s environmental controversies, the film meticulously documents how corporations have inflicted harm, exploited workers, and degraded the environment.

The interesting thing about the film is the way it is structured. A corporation was deemed an independent legal 'person'. The film plays with this narrative and brings in a satirical turn. The corporation is put on the psychiatrist’s couch in the film and is asked “What kind of person are you?” A checklist that uses the World Health Organization’s diagnostic criteria as well as the standard diagnostic tool used by psychiatrists is used to evaluate the 'personality' of the corporate 'person'. The corporation’s operating principles make it an anti-social 'personality': corporations display traits such as a lack of empathy, deceit and a disregard for the wellbeing of others. Driven by a legal mandate to maximize shareholder profits, corporations behave in ways that would be deemed morally reprehensible and broadly psychopathic if performed by an individual.

The filmmakers gather perspectives from over 40 individuals. Milton Friedman’s unapologetic defence of profit maximization as a corporation’s sole responsibility provides a stark contrast to the critiques of activists like Vandana Shiva, who highlights the devastating effects of globalization on small farmers.

Meanwhile, figures like Ray Anderson (former CEO of Interface Inc.) offer an extenuating perspective, sharing how he transformed his company into an environmentally sustainable enterprise after a personal moral awakening. We hear Sam Gibara (Former CEO and Chairman of Goodyear Tire) say,

“If you really had a free hand, if you really did what you wanted to do that suited your personal thoughts and your personal priorities, you’d act differently."

This diversity of voices lends the film credibility and nuance, allowing viewers to hear directly from those who defend corporate practices and those who challenge them.

The film also examines the privatization of public resources- the case of Bechtel’s control of Bolivia’s water supply which led to mass protests and public outrage2. The mass protest is covered in Paul Laverty’s written & Iciar Bollain directed film Even the Rain (2010) screened at FSB, couple of winters ago. These stories effectively highlight the real-world consequences of unchecked corporate power.

Another interesting aspect of the film is its visual aesthetic. Archival footage, advertising clips, and news reports are interwoven with interviews and narration which do not let the audience be a passive viewer. The editing of the film manages to juxtapose moments of corporate triumph with the high-price that people have to pay for it.

For instance, gleaming skyscrapers and upbeat corporate slogans are contrasted with harrowing images of crammed shops, polluted rivers, and community protests. The editing and scripting of the film is also done in a way that it uses irony to underscore its points, such as showing the absurdity of corporate branding through segments on Coca-Cola marketing in remote, impoverished areas.

Mark Achbar is a Canadian filmmaker, producer, and writer best known for codirecting The Corporation (2003) with Jennifer Abbott.

Achbar has a strong background in documentary filmmaking focused on political and social issues. He co-directed and co-produced Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992), a highly influential documentary exploring media bias and propaganda. His work often critiques corporate and governmental power structures, advocating for greater awareness and activism.

His documentaries have received critical acclaim and numerous awards worldwide. Jennifer Abbott is a Canadian filmmaker, editor, and activist specializing in documentaries that explore social justice, environmental issues, and corporate ethics. She co-directed The Corporation (2003), which became one of the most successful Canadian documentaries of its time. Abbott also directed The Magnitude of All Things (2020), a deeply personal documentary about climate grief. Her editing and storytelling techniques focus on weaving emotional narratives with hard-hitting investigative journalism.

1.The Bhopal disaster, commonly referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a chemical accident that happened at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide facility in Bhopal, India, on the evening of December 2–3, 1984. Methyl isocyanate (MIC), a very hazardous chemical, was released into the tiny communities surrounding the facility, exposing almost 500,000 residents. Although the official number of immediate deaths is 2,259, estimates of the death toll vary. It is regarded as the worst industrial disaster in the world.

2. In 1999, a Bechtel-led consortium, Aguas del Tunari, gained control of Cochabamba’s water supply, leading to significant price hikes and widespread protests known as the “Cochabamba Water War,” which ultimately forced Bechtel out of the country