Advertisement

Movies & TV Movies & TV Reviews

Hot Docs review: Bank Job

BANK JOB (Daniel Edelstyn and Hilary Powell, UK). 87 minutes. Rating: N


It’s a strange experience – agreeing with every argument a documentary puts forward while still wanting to strangle the people behind the camera. But that’s how I responded to Bank Job, an insufferably self-conscious look at the global debt industry from London filmmakers Daniel Edelstyn and Hilary Powell, who launched an art project minting their own bank notes (featuring activists rather than politicians or royalty) and selling them to raise money to buy existing debts and pay them off. 

The project was a great idea, and actually helped people, and every single point Edelstyn and Powell make about the obscenity of predatory debt collection is spot on. But by framing Bank Job as an entertainment and casting themselves as wacky revolutionaries – blinking incredulously at an interviewee in reaction shots, running around their house to tell each other things they already know, and even shooting a wraparound interrogation narrative where they pretend to be questioned by the police or something – all they do is obscure their very valid message.

It’s hard to focus on the screen when your eyes are rolling this hard.

Available to stream from April 29 at 10 am here

@normwilner

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted