Merchants of Doubt
Directed by Robert Kenner
Disturbing, thought-provoking, infuriating – these are just some of the ways to describe Robert Kenner’s latest documentary, Merchants of Doubt. At times, the incendiary film peels back the layers and exposes some disturbing truths behind a group of charismatic and silver-tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities and comment on a range of controversial topics including climate change, pharmaceuticals and toxic pollution. On the other hand, Kenner’s damning examination of media and spin sometimes spirals aimlessly and casts dire warnings we’ve heard about for years now.
Thankfully, the filmmaker wisely sprinkles a fair share of delusional pseudo-experts, opportunistic bureaucrats and genuine journalists, who are actually willing to dig a little deeper, throughout the film to keep it immensely engaging.
Merchants of Doubt features a framing device that introduces the viewer to renowned sleight-of-hand illusionist Jamy Ian Swiss as he reveals how several of his tricks are executed by distracting the eyes of his audience. It’s a clever parallel to the kinds of trickery employed by decades of think tanks and public relations firms perpetuated by the likes of the tobacco industry, big oil and climate change debunkers.
Although the film is constantly poignant, it often becomes pigeon-holed as Kenner sometimes seems more concerned with an entertaining talking head than shedding light on a hot-button issue by providing clear-cut, factual information.
Definitive answers are hard to come by in Merchants of Doubt but the degree of facepalm-inducing propaganda spewed by the spin doctors it exposes is staggering.
