The documentaries presented in this retrospective do not coalesce into a cohesive theme of interrelations between business, government and human rights. This would exceed the capability of a brief review. But it does offer films free of ideological dogma with irrefutably genuine testimonials that sketch out the nature and scale of this issue. "Money Feels Fine" includes films ranging from a microanalysis of Chinese capitalism ("Coal Money"), a mockery of the cynical methods used by developers in the heart of the European capital ("In 10 days or in 10 years"), to a rural community's successful fight against a Canadian corporate giant in the Ecuadorian jungle ("Under Rich Earth"). The documentary "Blue Gold" depicts the corporate war for the world's water resources, while "Devils' Bargain" exposes the complete absence of morality in the thriving illegal weapons trade. The fact that big business willingly supports authorities is obvious and clear. But in places that lack social control mechanisms, this relationship can turn into a complex knot of corrupt interdependencies that lead to various pathologies. The Brazilian documentary "Citizen Boilesen" shows the figure of a Danish businessman who, in the 1970s, was personally involved in extreme methods of combating the opposition by the Brazilian junta.
The money feels fine and, despite its recent bout of the flu, it will certainly be getting better. In an age of all-powerful credit and a globalized economy fueled by the growth of modern technology, money creates new structures of actual power, outside the control of the traditional democratic political process. International corporations have budgets that outstrip those of numerous countries and their power over people's lives, especially social and labor rights, is frequently far greater than politicians. It is no coincidence the term ‘watchdog' that once referred primarily to NGOs monitoring observance of human rights by governments, now usually applies to organizations that monitor big business.
