Films to Skip on your Holiday Break

The holiday season is upon us, and I hope you’ll have some time to relax and connect with your family. With the cold weather outside many of us turn to blankets and a movie for entertainment this time of year when we have a break. While there are lots of great movies from this year you should definitely watch, 2017 also brought us a few new anti-agriculture films you can skip right over.

What the Health – From the makers of “Cowspiracy,” this film is full to the brim of crazy claims about meat, poultry and eggs. Some gems include that eating an egg is the same as smoking five cigarettes, pregnant women who eat animal products are introducing toxins to their child and that milk contains pus. For a full roundup of the film and links to some good sources debunking it, check out this post from the Alliance blog. 

Okja – No matter how desperate you get for something new to watch on Netflix, avoid this one. It’s the story of a young girl raising a “super pig” (a genetically modified pig produced by a large corporation) who becomes her best friend. Major themes in the film include negativity toward large companies, extreme displays of animal rights activism, humanization of animals and consumer distrust of food production.

The Last Pig – This documentary premiered in April, but won’t be available for public screenings until next year. It’s about a hog farmer who decides to stop farming and become a vegetarian (and later a vegan), though he must slaughter the titular “last pig.” The documentary’s website includes a section on why you shouldn’t eat pork and another promoting vegan diets.

It wasn’t all bad in 2017, though. Food Evolution, a documentary examining the controversy surrounding GMOs and food, is one you should definitely watch if you have a chance. It analyzes how misinformation, confusion and fear can impact consumers and their choices.

The Alliance has movie overviews prepared on these and many other films, so don’t hesitate to drop me a line at hthompson@animalagalliance.org for more details. Happy Holidays from the Alliance to you and your family!