The Shock Doctrine (2009)

An investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.

Directors:

Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Naomi Klein (book)

Stars:

Ewen Cameron, Janine Huard, Naomi Klein

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewen Cameron	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Dr. Ewen Cameron)
Janine Huard	...	Herself
Naomi Klein	...	Herself
Franklin D. Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
Milton Friedman	...	Himself
Salvador Allende	...	Himself (archive footage)
Donald O. Hebb	...	Himself - Doctor (as Donald Hebb)
Richard Nixon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Edward M. Korry	...	Himself - Former US Ambassador to Chile (as Edward Korry)
Augusto Pinochet	...	Himself (archive footage)
Margaret Thatcher	...	Herself (archive footage)
Orlando Letelier	...	Himself (archive footage)
Michael Townley	...	Himself
Arnold Harberger	...	Himself
Jorge Rafael Videla	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Jorge Videla)

Storyline

Naomi Klein gives a lecture tracing the confluence of ideas about modifying behavior using shock therapy and other sensory deprivation and modifying national economics using the "shock treatment" of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School. She moves chronologically: Pinochet's Chile, Argentina and its junta, Yeltsin's Russia, Bush and Bremer's Iraq. A trumped-up villain provides distraction or rationalization: Marxism, the Falklands, nuclear weapons, terrorists; and, always, there is a great shift of money and power from the many to the few. News footage, a narrator, and talking heads back up Klein's analysis. She concludes on a note of hope.

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Plot Keywords:

economics | pinochet | shock therapy | talking heads | chile | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Doktrina soka

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renegade Pictures, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min 85 min (work in progress)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Naomi Klein: A state of shock is something that happens to us not only when something bad happens. It's what happens to us when we lose our narrative, when we lose our story, when we become disoriented.

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Connections

References The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)

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Soundtracks

"original soundtrack excerpts"
from Fargo
Written by Carter Burwell

User Reviews

Fantastically Educational

The numerous examples provided in this documentary very effectively support the conclusions that Klein is making. This is NOT a conspiracy film by any stretch. This is just a history lesson that has you draw your own conclusions. It makes a major point that should be no surprise to any of us - that "shocks" have been opportunistic to the powers that are determined to promote their success above the general welfare. I appreciate this documentary because it focuses on important truths that too many of us refuse to accept even though the evidences are overwhelming. The documentary might be a little overwhelming for someone who is not familiar with the facts presented since they are presented in such volume so quickly. The documentary could have easily been twice as long, but I suppose that is what the book is for.