In “Where to Invade Next,” Moore is critical that America lacks social programs found in Italy, France, Finland, Slovenia, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Tunisia and Iceland
Michael Moore, the old far-lefty, has shown his new documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival in which he cherry picks social programs that he feels America should be having, some of which have brought countries to the verge of bankruptcy.
TIFF 2015: MICHAEL MOORE UNVEILS NEW DOC ‘WHERE TO INVADE NEXT’ TO MAJOR SALUTE
By Kevin Polowy
Fandango
September 11, 2015
Michael Moore returned to the Toronto International Film Festival to unveil his new documentary Where to Invade Next late Thursday night, and he found a warm reception from the mostly Canadian crowd of 1,700 moviegoers. Shouts of “Michael Moore for Prime Minister!” preceded the premiere, and a long standing ovation greeted the director when he returned to the stage for a post-screening Q&A.
The film — shrouded in secrecy since its announcement as a TIFF title six weeks ago — was thought to be anti-war doc taking aim at U.S. military engagements given not only its title but the only image released from it, which shows a room full of armed forces leaders (above). Moore, who hasn’t directed a film since 2009’s Capitalism: A Love Story, played up that ruse to the end, greeting fest-goers with placards in the Princess of Wales theater lobby that read, “This Screening Has Been Authorized By the United States Department of Defense.”
Where to Invade Next, as it turns out, is much broader in scope, with Moore using the gimmick of himself personally “invading” other countries to “steal” ideals that would make the U.S. better as the framing device of the globe-spanning film. It plays like a variation of the popular Travel Channel show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but with social policies instead of fine cuisine.
The episodic approach takes Moore to Italy, where locals espouse the work benefits that provide them 35 annual days of vacation and generous maternity/paternity leaves, then express shock that Americans by law aren’t required any. The medley continues to France (better school lunches), Finland (better education), Slovenia (free college), Germany (worker’s rights), Portugal (drug decriminalization), Norway (prison reform), Tunisia (women’s rights), and Iceland (women in power and accountability for law-breaking bankers).
The film has a noticeably more upbeat tone than Moore’s previous efforts, which include his breakout, Roger & Me (1989), the Oscar-winning call for gun reform Bowling for Columbine (2002), and the blockbuster George W. Bush takedown Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). “It was called 'Mike’s Happy Movie,’ the 'No Problem, All Solutions Movie,” Moore noted during the premiere’s amusing post-screening Q&A. “And we made a conscious decision… that we would not shoot a single frame for this movie in the United States of America. And we would say more about who we are in a hopefully more profound and devastating way by going elsewhere, so we could maybe examine what happened to our American souls.”
Moore then declared he would get ahead of the critics who will blast his choice to present such a favorable view of Italy, given recent political corruption and economic downturns in the country. “The mainstream media does a really good job telling you night after night and day after day how the rest of the world is just so bad, and horrible, and sucks! 'And they pay so much taxes! And it’s just awful!,’” Moore exclaimed to cheers. “And what I ask for is every few years, just two hours of your time to present the other version, the truth of what goes on. So if you want to know why I didn’t point out Italy’s high unemployment rate, my answer to you is that I went there to pick the flowers and not the weeds.”
While it may seem unusual for a film about American social ideals to premiere in Canada, Moore’s relationship with TIFF dates back to the beginning of his career. He premiered Roger & Me at the fest 26 years ago, and said before unspooling Where to Invade Next that he owed his success to the fest’s support of that film. He returned for a 25th anniversary screening last year, and in between those also brought Columbine and Capitalism to Toronto.
As for why Moore took a six-year hiatus between his last film and Where to Invade Next, the director explained that, “I said at the end of Capitalism: A Love Story that unless people were going to rise up and get involved and do something, I’m tired of being the poster for Fox News and taking all this [heat] and doing this alone…. It was really my call to the audience that you’ve got to do something.”
Moore was motivated to return to filmmaking after he turned 60 and also by the 2014 death of his father Francis, who wouldn’t want him “sitting around depressed,” he said. “And then in this last year, with Ferguson and 'Black Lives Matter’ and everything, I thought it was important to re-enlist, basically, and be a part of what needs to happen.”
Where to Invade Next was produced independently, but is expected to secure U.S. theatrical distribution at TIFF, especially in light of its favorable audience response. So depending on whether or not you think that’s a good thing, you can thank/blame Canada.
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