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Life and Debt

  • 2001
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Life and Debt (2001)
Documentary

Documentary look at the effects of globalization on Jamaican industry and agriculture.Documentary look at the effects of globalization on Jamaican industry and agriculture.Documentary look at the effects of globalization on Jamaican industry and agriculture.

  • Director
    • Stephanie Black
  • Writer
    • Jamaica Kincaid
  • Stars
    • Belinda Becker
    • Buju Banton
    • Horst Köhler
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stephanie Black
    • Writer
      • Jamaica Kincaid
    • Stars
      • Belinda Becker
      • Buju Banton
      • Horst Köhler
    • 18User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Photos4

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    Top cast14

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    Belinda Becker
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Buju Banton
    Buju Banton
    • Self - Singer
    Horst Köhler
    • Self - Director, International Monetary Fund
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Horst Kohler)
    Michael Manley
    Michael Manley
    • Self - Former Prime Minister of Jamaica
    Stanley Fischer
    • Self - Deputy Director International Monetary Fund
    Michael Witter
    • Self - Professor of Economics, University of West Indies
    • (as Dr. Michael Witter)
    David Coore
    • Self - Former Minister of Finance, Jamaica
    Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton
    • Self - President of the United States
    • (archive footage)
    Jean-Bertrand Aristide
    Jean-Bertrand Aristide
    • Self - President, Haiti
    Yami Bolo
    • Self - Singer
    Tom Lipetzky
    • Self - U.S. Potato Board
    • (archive footage)
    Kathy Owen
    • News Anchor
    Jerry J. Rawlings
    • Self - Former President, Ghana
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Jerry Rawlings)
    Jamaica Kincaid
    • Narrator
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Stephanie Black
    • Writer
      • Jamaica Kincaid
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Quotes

      Narrator: "Jamaica was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Not too long after, it was settled by human rubbish from Europe, who used enslaved but noble and exalted human beings from Africa to satisfy their desire for wealth and power. Eventually the masters left, in a kind of way; eventually the salves were freed, in a kind of way. Of course, the whole thing is, once you cease to be master you're no longer human rubbish, you're just a human being and all the things that adds up to; so too with the slaves, once they are no longer slaves, once they're free they are no longer noble and exalted, they are just human beings." based on "A Small Place" copyright 1987 Jamaica Kincaid

    • Crazy credits
      Special heartfelt gratitude to the interviewees who share the truth with such eloquence.
    • Connections
      Referenced in The North Pole Deception (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      G-7
      Written by Ziggy Marley (as David Marley)

      Performed by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers

      Courtesy of Elektra Records

      By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

      Used by permission of Colgems-EMI Music Inc.

    User reviews18

    Featured review

    Exposes the dark side of globalization

    This film, though somewhat simplistic and emotional (for obvious reasons), does an excellent job of conveying to a broad audience some of the negative effects of globalization on a small, developing economy like that of Jamaica. One often hears critiques of international capitalism and the lending policies of the IMF and World Bank, but in most cases the criticism lacks pertinent examples of the direct impacts of globalization, or fails to make an effective case for why we should care. This film manages to do both, by providing relevant facts (increases in national debt over time, predatory interest rates tied to 'development' loans from the World Bank, critical industries undercut by international competition, etc.), and illustrating the ground-level effects on Jamaican citizens both visually and through numerous informative interviews. The film is interspersed with scenes of oblivious American tourists enjoying their vacations at expensive Jamaican resorts safely isolated from the surrounding poverty, to highlight the developed world's ignorance about the plight of Jamaica and similar underdeveloped countries.

    As a precondition for aid, the IMF and World Bank usually require that developing countries drop any significant barriers to trade. When the doors are opened to international trade, lower-priced goods from abroad undercut local goods, and eliminate the market for any industry that cannot compete with the mass production that larger economies are capable of. While opening barrier-free worldwide markets for goods and services benefits the large economies already in a position to compete on such a scale, the sudden and forced introduction of 'free' trade to underdeveloped economies often disrupts domestic industries, which are given no opportunity to transition. While the consumer market is suddenly flooded with relatively cheaper goods (cheap enough to undercut the local competition, not to benefit consumers in any way), globalization fails to provide domestic producers with the inputs and capital (fertilizer, machinery, etc.) necessary to compete with producers abroad. As a result, the economy is robbed of its traditional sources of income and capacity for self-sufficiency, instead becoming reliant on weak foreign aid and tourism as national poverty continues to increase.
    • deus491
    • Nov 19, 2007
    • Permalink

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 28, 2003 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • lifeanddebt.org (United States)
      • PBS (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Life + Debt
    • Filming locations
      • Jamaica
    • Production company
      • Tuff Gong Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $263,107
    • Gross worldwide
      • $263,107
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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