The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales film assessment (2022)

“The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” is a documentary by Abigail Disney, co-directed with “Armor of Light” co-director Kathleen Hughes. Like lots of documentaries made within the final three a long time, it has a little bit of a Michael Moore feeling, with the filmmaker doubling as questing hero, standing up for the little man and taking the combat to the fits. Disney, in fact, benefited mightily from the financial success of the corporate her grandfather and nice uncle co-founded collectively, however has spent the previous few a long time turning into more and more alarmed on the widening hole between the haves and have-nots. As she factors out right here, the presidents of main firms as soon as made anyplace from 100 to 500 instances as a lot as their lowest-paid workers. Now we see executives making a whole lot of tens of millions and even billions of {dollars} from salaries, inventory offers, and different preparations, whereas a few of their workers are simply scraping by.

In her quest to light up the earnings hole, Disney visits a gaggle of Disney World workers who sit in a circle (it appears to be like like a restoration group assembly within the basement of a church) and inform their tales. She asks them to boost their palms in the event that they or any fellow Disney worker they know has ever gone with out mandatory medical care as a result of they could not afford the out-of-pocket expense. Hands go up. Then she asks them to boost their palms in the event that they or anybody they know has ever lived out of their automobile. More palms. No matter what disturbing state of affairs she envisions, palms at all times go up. Some Disney theme park workers should work two jobs simply to afford hire: one lady works a shift at Disneyland and one other one at Knotts Berry Farm, and the household nonetheless cannot make ends meet.

As a bunch and digicam topic, the filmmaker is affable sufficient and makes her case properly however is not dynamic sufficient to hold the movie; it would’ve been higher to focus on her interview topics and on illustrating the issues she’s involved with, as there are factors the place the film edges slightly bit too near feeling like a protracted episode of a broadcast community newsmagazine. Still, it is a compelling story about persistent issues that have an effect on the vast majority of Americans, although you do not hear about them fairly often in mainstream media. The blunt title says all of it.

Now obtainable on VOD.