Here at Vulture, we think Alfonso Cuarón is a genius who should be allowed to basically do whatever he wants, as long as that includes directing the final Harry Potter movie. But is creating a trailer for Naomi Klein’s new anti-capitalist book, The Shock Doctrine, really the finest use of his filmmaking talents?
Well, whether you agree or disagree with the book’s thesis, you have to admire the ruthlessly efficient manner in which the six-minute trailer delivers its message.
Written by Cuarón and Klein, and officially directed by Cuarón’s 26-year-old son Jonás, the movie intersperses archival footage of shock treatment and recent world catastrophes (like 9/11 and the 2004 tsunami) to make the argument that free-marketers, following Milton Friedman’s precepts, frequently seize on crisis as a way of advancing their agendas. Utilizing some pretty nifty (and disturbing) animation from Foreign Office, the same design firm that created the amazing background media content for Children of Men, Cuarón and Klein create a riveting ad for a book we still don’t really want to read. Is there an Oscar for Best Propaganda?
