Coming to theatres today, Friday, November 27: STINK!
Jon Whelan’s investigation into chemical industry secrecy debuted at a special event in NYC last Spring. Fest screenings have included Atlanta Docufest, Barcelona’s Human Rights, San Francisco Doc, Rhode Island, and United Nations Association.
As awkwardly shown onscreen at the outset, Whelan is motivated to make his film after he orders clothing for his young daughters and is confronted with a strange smell from the packaging. He gets nowhere when he calls the manufacturer for information about what chemicals are involved, and is instead told that’s proprietary information. He soon learns that a regulatory loophole allows manufacturers to use hundreds of thousands of chemicals in the production of countless consumer items’ catch-all ingredient, “fragrance,” many carcinogenic or otherwise potentially harmful to humans – and the companies are under no obligation to disclose their contents or even prove their safety. The neophyte filmmaker sets out to learn why, engaging in low-rent Michael Moore shenanigans to demand answers from industry insiders, politicians, and others who benefit financially from the corporate secrecy while endangering consumer health. To put a further excessively personal spin on the proceedings, Whelan wonders whether his late wife’s struggle with breast cancer was due to such lack of public health concern. While the film’s general subject matter is disturbing and certainly merits public awareness, Whelan’s filmmaking is just not up to snuff. His clunky personal crusade approach is overly derivative and amateurish, particularly in his insistence on unnecessarily including himself via narration and on-camera – and cheapens the project’s overall impact.
what (not) to doc 