Sicko

Jason Mallabone

http://www.michaelmoore.com/booksfilms/

Michael Moore
http://gawker.com/michael-moore/

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Michael Moore is a American director He has won several Awards for his many documentaries He targets issues such as Globalization, Large corporations, Assault weapon ownership, Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, Capitalism and US health care system (What Sicko is about) Award winning films include:

Bowling for Columbine and Sicko (Both in the top ten highest grossing documentaries of all time) Fahrenheit 9/11 (The Highest grossing documentary of all time)

Synopsis

S Sicko mentions the almost fifty million Americans are uninsured

S However the man concept of the film was to talk about the rest

of the population who are insured

S He talks about how the system itself is corrupt

S Former employees of insurance companies discuss cost-

cutting initiatives that give bonuses to insurance company physicians

How is sicko a documentary?

On Location
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All of the filming was done at the hospitals or peoples homes

No Actors
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All of the people that were interviewed were telling their own true stories and there were no reenactments which resulted in the film requiring no actors

Born in the Editing room

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The documentary was made through the use of archived footage and interviews, without the use of editing the film it wouldnt come out as good as it did.

Socially relevant theme

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This documentary talks about the health of the average American, and how the health system gives the sense of false security

The Search for truth

S Sicko looks at the health system from both POV

S The footage taken from interviews that contained both

information from the victims and the health care workers

S Questions asked to the people that have been rejected

and denied the money they needed, while talking to the people who have been given the money to get the necessary medicines and aliments

Arguments

Film
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They believe that the health care system cheats people out of their investment into the protection of their physical and mental health, thus leaving the insured without the money spent of buying the health insurance, and how they must deal with abuse from insurance companies. I feel that from the film, you can see how the health care companies put the health of their clients after the profit that can be made from the situation. As seen from this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwGLdYBm1bY) the doctors in charge of granting the money for the operation are putting the credibility of their name first.

Sound Design

Music used in a ironic fashion when it comes to talking about the people who have health insurance At the very beginning opening introduction, the slow music was used to give more emotion to the starting scenes depicting the man who had a price put on his finger

Other clips (Examples)

Voice overs matched with music (10:40-11:20) Music to keep the audience focused on the situation (14:14-14:40)

Music that contrasts what is being said (21:20-21:40)

Comparison of documentaries

Sicko
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Includes many different families and their personal stories Focuses on the specific issue of the health care system cheating insured customers The narration is used throughout with the help of interviews The camera does not associate themselves with the issues of the families Music is used in specific situations to help with the mood

Babies
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Documentary focuses on 4 and only 4 families It doesnt focus on one specific issue within the child's life There is no narration and no interviews The camera observes the children without changing their daily routine Music is continuous throughout the film