Piketty’s contention is that in the 21st century wealth has become more and more concentrated in the form of capital, owned by a minuscule few who sit happily on its colossal growing income – like the aristocrats of pre-revolutionary Europe and non-revolutionary Britain – and that the politically galvanising forces of the Industrial Revolution and vast democratising movements of the 20th century – the New Deal, the welfare state, bank regulation, rent controls etc – are increasingly looking like a blip.Īfter a slightly perfunctory look at the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet communism, the film takes us through the triumph of capitalism and its egregious excesses, this with the help of bling montages that reminded me of the opening credits to HBO’s TV show Succession. J ustin Pemberton’s documentary, based on the bestselling book by French economist Thomas Piketty, tells us a story no less depressing or gruesomely hypnotic for being so familiar – like observing a slo-mo driverless car crash from the passenger seat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |