“His masterpiece” – The Guardian
Widely recognized as one of the greatest and most accomplished documentary filmmakers of all time, Frederick Wiseman created an unprecedented body of work over the course six decades, releasing 45 films up until his recent passing in February at the age of 96.
With so many highly regarded films to his name, Welfare is considered to be one his finest, if not his ultimate masterpiece.
Welfare shows the nature and complexity of the welfare system in sequences illustrating the staggering diversity of problems that constitute welfare: housing, unemployment, divorce, medical and psychiatric problems, abandoned and abused children, and the elderly. These issues are presented in a context where welfare workers as well as clients struggle to cope with and interpret the laws and regulations that govern their work and life.
In English and Spanish, with English subtitles.
