Inside Job

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Inside Job is a documentary about the global financial meltdown of 2008.  It's also one of the best reviewed films of last year (and it's narrated by Matt Damon!)  You might think that a documentary about derivatives and credit default swaps would be a little dry but the film is not at all.  The film opens with a prologue about the economy in Iceland and how it went from being one of the most stable in the world to a state of near-ruin in just a few years thanks to some deregulation laws that were passed.  This is just a microcosm of what's happened in the US.  Unlike a Michael Moore film where the subject can often be too sprawling for the running time, this film is focused and bipartisan.

Director Charles Ferguson conducts interviews with financial insiders, politicians and academics and holds each of them to a standard of truth.  Several interviews get incredibly uncomfortable when the subject tries to pass off their coached non-response and Ferguson calls them on it every time.  The economy is in the state it's in because of decades of corruption placing the blame as much on our politicians as on Wall Street itself.  Watching this film made me feel angry and helpless.  Everyone should see this film.  It should be shown in schools and broadcast on all the major channels like a presidential address or telethon.  Watch the trailer.