AdamsFilmAnnotation7

 “Mann vs. Ford” was directed by Mara Chermayeff and Micah Fink and was released in 2010 by HBO. The film follows Vicki Gilliam, the lead attorney from the Cochran firm, and the Ramapough Indians who filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Company. The film follows the researcher and her clients in their pursuit to help their community. The main narrative of this film is that the legal system, as well as government organizations such as the EPA, create a problematic cycle where companies break the law, get caught, and then settle for a lot less than the problems cost. Using great interviews with the community leaders, sick and dying clients, and a team of lawyers and experts, “Mann vs. Ford” drives home the argument that polluters like Ford Motor Company not only destroy environment but communities. There is a lot of scientific information provided about what chemicals were used, the timing of the dumping, and the human health effects. The emotional appeal of this film is about as large as an documentaryI have seen. You cannot help to feel for this Native American tribe.

The major sustainability problems focused on in this film are political, cultural, and ecological ones. The politics of big business and the problems that occur from lobbying and interaction between corrupt government officials create the problems. The cultural problems identified are the American cultural problems. The great age of automobile production in the 50’s and 60’s created this pollution that struck the community. However, the other interesting cultural problems arise from the background provided by the Ramapough Indian tribe’s explanation of their traditional and community ideals. The ecological issues include pollution of bodies of water and groundwater, as well as the problems that landfills cause due to the production that America relies upon. Without a doubt the most persuasive and compelling parts of the film were during some of the interviews with the community leaders, who express their sadness and anger towards the Ford Motor Company who unfairly treated them like second class citizens and raped the very land where their ancestors lived for hundreds of years. Those interviews provide enough emotional appeal and background into a story that is too common these days. There was one part of the film where the Ramapough Indian leaders went to the new head of the EPA’s inauguration in Washington, DC, and expressed their hope that the former NJ legislator and current EPA head would do anything to change how things are done. This part of the film really failed in an attempt to remain positive and it didn’t really do anything for me. This film best addresses the audience who is somewhat aware of the problems that are caused by industrious businesses, as well and better yet to those who really know nothing about these types of lawsuits. This is because this film does a great job at convincing you that Ford Motor Company does not care about individuals and instead only think in terms of dollars. I think some key historical perspective of the types of lawsuits that have existed in this country would add to the educational value of this film. The film does very little to touch upon how we can go about solving the problems of corporate activity. There was only some hope placed upon political leaders and organizations such as the EPA to help to make sure these types of travesties do not occur. However, I would suggest that better and stricter laws be enforced by the EPA to ensure that corporations who in the past failed to maintain legitimate business, are continually punished for their missteps. As a New Jerseyan, I live awfully close to the EPA superfund site in Ramapo, NJ. I did some research and found some articles that detail the lawsuit and provide some background. [] [] This local article in Mahwah, NJ, examines the problem and poses some key questions.