Our Daily Bread

Directed by: Nikolaus Geyrhalter

Do you ever wonder where your food comes from? Sometimes I think part of the joy in eating comes from the fact that you don’t have to. Lets face it, most of us would rather not know that our burger came from cud-chewing Betsy only a few days ago or that our eggs came from chickens who exist in towers of cages that would make crowded Tokyo seem like Lincoln, Nebraska. Oh, and don’t get me started on the bacon. All of it (at least a great many food items) is presented here in its glory, uncut and unglamourized. The only sounds we hear are the sounds of conveyor belts or the sound of a saw slicing through bone and tissue. The atomization is quite spectacular and even amusing in some scenes - like a machine that propels chicks into trays like they were feathered ping pong balls (I am surprised the chicks don’t get concussions). But not all of Our Daily Bread shows the atomization of the food industry. There is a person behind that salami to be sure. Often we see them go through their daily tasks with all the exuberance of, well, aging cheese. There are a few takes to the workers taking their lunch break showing us that they eat too and their food is no doubt prepared by people like them. The real question is the woman who is putting bands on chickens all day having a chicken sandwich? I think not. Or at least I wouldn’t.
Cinemagraphically there are some great shots that give us the idea of the scope and scale of what it takes to feed billions of people whether it be rows of greenhouses or thousands of olive trees. When you think about it is quite amazing.
Many of the images are graphic and not for the faint of heart (or stomach). In Our Daily Bread the processes are shown in full detail from artificial insemination to the slaughterhouse. Everything is precisely controlled and maintained. If you are familiar with The Matrix then you will remember a scene where there are towers of human beings being produced for the specific purpose of providing energy to the machines that have taken over the earth. I wonder how the animals reaction would be if they knew they were that to us? But then again part of the joy of being an animal must be not knowing such things.
A good film and A good look for anyone who wants to see our food from the other side of the counter.
2 stars