MEAT Documentary. A Review from the Vegan Perspective

MEAT Documentary. A Review from the Vegan Perspective

About the author: Carl D Scott is a former slaughterhouse worker, who has also trapped possums and done a tiny bit of hunting and fishing in his time. He was also a Corporal in the NZ Army. He is now, among other things, a vegan advocate and an animal rights activist. If you’re interested, you can read a more detailed introduction to him here.

A couple of weeks ago Rialto Cinema in Dunedin hosted a special preview screening of the brand new NZ documentary, ‘MEAT’. I attended as a representative of the Dunedin Ōtepoti Vegan Society (DŌVeS), for the purposes of writing a review/critique of the movie. MEAT opened in NZ cinemas on Thursday May 4th. ('MEAT' on Facebook)

The movie maker, David White was in attendance, and I had the pleasure of talking to him about his movie. I also had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Ian, the pig farmer who is featured in the documentary, in the foyer of the cinema before the movie began. Ian lives and farms near Dunedin.

The official blurb on the movie's website says, “MEAT is the modern story of the animals we eat, as told by the people who never get to say their piece. From the solitary hunter who believes everyone needs to be educated about their food, to an industrial pig farmer who argues that money isn’t his primary driver. MEAT is a revealing and thought-provoking documentary that does not tell you what to think, but shines a new light on the people, the land and everything that lies behind the supermarket shelves.”

I think that is a pretty accurate description. I was worried it was going to be a piece of pro-meat propaganda. It soon becomes clear though, that there truly is no agenda here. It’s not pro-meat and it’s not anti-meat. David tells the people’s stories in a pretty fair and unbiased way, and lets the viewer make up their own mind. And in this day and age, you have to respect that. It’s far too rare.

The movie doesn’t pull any punches though. We get to see what happens to the animals too. And for anyone who cares about animals, some of those scenes are pretty hard to watch. But those are the realities of meat production, and I’m glad David didn’t gloss over them, or try to hide them.

I think what came through for me the most though, is that the five people featured in the movie are reasonably relatable and even likeable characters. And while a few of their comments are a bit questionable, all of them have at least a few intelligent and insightful things to say. I think the power and importance of the movie is that we get to see that they are real people, who are not so different from ourselves.

I believe in giving credit where it’s due. There are few, if any, secrets in this movie. The five people interviewed in the movie speak their truths in a very candid and open way. I’m sure they must have known that this movie has the potential to generate controversy, and yet they had the courage to step up and represent their industries and their communities in the best way they could. That takes guts. I admire and respect them for that.

I do not hate farmers, hunters, or freezing workers. I have no right to. After all, I used to be a freezing worker myself. I often remind my vegan and animal rights activist colleagues that most of them used to eat meat themselves at one point in their lives.

It frustrates me that the vegan and animal rights communities often ‘paint horns’ on farmers, hunters, freezing workers, and others who exploit animals. It also frustrates me when those people do the same to us. Sure, there are always a few bad apples in any group or community. That includes farmers and hunters. There are even one or two vegans I’ve met who are, shall we say, ‘difficult people’?

But from my own personal experience, most farmers, freezing workers, hunters, and so on are pretty good people. Many of them are exceptionally good people. Most of them that I have personally known have been salt of the earth. Not scum of the earth.

And exactly the same can be said for the vegan and animal rights communities. Most of us are good people too. And many of us are exceptionally good people. Some of the most awesome people I’ve ever met have been vegans and/or animal rights activists. And no, I’m not just saying that because I’m one of them.

As I mentioned, I got to chat to the pig farmer, Ian, at the movie premiere. NZ is a small country and so Ian and I have a couple of mutual friends. It also turns out that we also share a love of 1959 Chevrolets. Ian owns a very tidy ’59 Impala, and when he got his phone out and showed me a photo of his pride and joy that evening, I have to confess I was a bit envious. It’s a real beauty. Why do I mention this? Because it just goes to show that a vegan animal rights activist and an animal farmer are both real people, and sometimes we just might have more in common than we imagine.

In my mind, the problem, and the crux of the great social debate we are all in the middle of, is not about the people. It is about an idea. One which we have very different opinions about. At the end of the day, most of us are pretty decent people. It’s just our different attitudes and beliefs about how we should treat animals that puts us on one side or the other of this particular issue. And some of us feel very strongly about that issue.

To Watch, or Not to Watch? That is the Question.

I am going to recommend that every Kiwi watches the ‘MEAT’ movie.

I’m going to recommend that vegans and vegetarians watch it, if they can bear the occasional gory scene, because I think it might help a lot of them understand that farmers and hunters aren’t bad people, as some of us might think. And I think the scenes where we see what happens to the animals will affirm their lifestyle choices.

I expect the farmers and hunters will go and watch it to see how their communities, industries, practices, and ideologies have been portrayed. I’m going to predict the portrayal of the people as real and relatable characters will be affirming for them. I’m looking forward to reading some of their reviews and comments

And then there’s the people in the middle. Those who eat meat. What they think of the movie is what I’m most interested in of all. So I am also going to recommend that all meat eaters watch it. If you are going to eat meat, I believe you have an obligation to know the truth about where it comes from and how it is produced.

After all, if you are creating the demand by consuming the ‘end product’, then you are the reason those animals are being raised and/or killed. It’s only fair to own it and your part in it, and to be informed about what it is you are participating in.

But besides all of those reasons, I’m going to recommend that people go and see it, because it’s just a really good movie. I was fully engaged from start to finish. My vegan friend Erin came to the special screening with me, and she really enjoyed it too. I strongly suspect everyone in the theatre did.

You are taken on an intense and fascinating journey into a world that many urban people will be quite unfamiliar with. It encourages you to have a good long think about the whole world of meat production and consumption, and the people and the animals who are involved.

There is some quite amazing camera work in it. The editing is tight, and the pace is perfect. It is quite simply a well made and watchable movie. I applaud that David White is presenting the honest and raw truth, so the public of NZ can make up their own minds. That’s what he set out to do, and I think he hit the nail squarely on the head with this film.

Critiques

There were however, one or two things that I feel I need to comment on. In my opinion, the pig farm and the chicken farm portrayed in the movie, are not typical representations of their industry as a whole. There are aspects of hunting that aren’t covered in the movie too. It concerns me that a viewer might walk out of the cinema with an inaccurate impression. So I have written some thoughts about that in a blog post.

The Other Side of the Story

There are a huge number of Kiwis who choose not to eat meat these days. In a way, I think the movie ought to have had at least one of those voices in it. But it didn’t. And there are pros and cons to that. But I do think that side of the story needs to be told, so I’ve written something about that in another blog post.
Let Me Know What You Think

The ‘MEAT’ documentary is a very timely movie. You’d have to be living in a cave to not know that both veganism, and the ins and outs of animal agriculture are reasonably hot topics at the moment. I think this film is going to generate a lot of discussion. And that’s good. Open public debate is what living in a free country is supposed to be all about.

I think it’s a great movie. But don’t take my word for it. Go and see the movie yourself, and then make up your own mind. If you're a meat eater, then I’m curious to know...

Will hearing the five people’s stories, and realising that they are basically reasonably decent people, make you feel ok about eating meat?

Or will seeing the disturbing reality of what happens to the animals cause you to rethink your lifestyle choices and maybe even go vegan?

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