Generation Wealth
posted April 17, 2019 #
I mentioned this on Twitter but I recently watched Lauren Greenfield's newest film Generation Wealth and rather enjoyed it. Her previous film, Queen of Versailles, was a long look at "a billionaire couple who live in a 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by Versailles." It is a shocking exercise in opulence that, somewhat thankfully, completely tanks.
The new film takes that idea and goes even further with it, examining the negative impacts of wealth from a number of different angles; all through the lens of Greenfield's professional experience as a photographer. It's a documentary on the dangers of capitalism, hubris, reality TV and social media but still quite personal. The Letterboxd reviews seem to find that personal angle to be a negative but I disagree. It keeps the scope of the film manageable, relatable and believable. These aren't just examples of poor choices fueled by money, these are poor choices fueled by money that Greenfield knows.
You don't need a long review of the film. Just go watch it and let it simmer for a bit. The best bits are the insights on large societies that have reached this scale of excess in the past and what their ultimate fate turned out to be.
The new film takes that idea and goes even further with it, examining the negative impacts of wealth from a number of different angles; all through the lens of Greenfield's professional experience as a photographer. It's a documentary on the dangers of capitalism, hubris, reality TV and social media but still quite personal. The Letterboxd reviews seem to find that personal angle to be a negative but I disagree. It keeps the scope of the film manageable, relatable and believable. These aren't just examples of poor choices fueled by money, these are poor choices fueled by money that Greenfield knows.
You don't need a long review of the film. Just go watch it and let it simmer for a bit. The best bits are the insights on large societies that have reached this scale of excess in the past and what their ultimate fate turned out to be.