Summary
Consumed features a storyline of Sophie Kessler who is a working-class single mother living in the Midwest. Sophie is doing her best to raise her son Garrett but life takes a turn when he begins to suffer from serious health problems. These include outrageous rashes, constant vomiting, and extreme tiredness. Sophie is mindful of the symptoms and tries to take her son to see as many doctors as possible. Unfortunately, the doctors that she encounters only provide vague anticipations of an explanation. Sophie’s guts tell her that the answer lies in the food that her son eats.
In her attempt to get answers, she operates in the ominous reality of GMO agriculture. With the help of caring friends, Sophie discovers a powerful biotechnology company known as Clonestra. This is a company that aggressively markets its goods that are genetically modified. With the frantic efforts to save her son, Sophie meets various professionals such as scientists, whistle blowers to farmers; finding them all to bear the consequences of Clonestra and the powerful biotech industry.
One of those allies is Serge Negani, a sharp young scientist who has undergone intimidation and professional blackballing for his research uncovering troubling data about GMO-related illnesses. Another is Hal Westbrook, an organic farmer who seems to be losing the battle to protect his land from GMO intrusion. Each new finding brings Sophie closer to the troubling reality—and greater risk.
Her personal transformation is an eye-opening revelation not only about the food industry, but the colossal entities that dominate scientific inquiry, food marketing, and even public relations. It isn’t long before Sophie understands it’s far more complex than battling a soulless corporation; she’s contending with a juggernaut that actively shapes the very definition of reality.
Themes and Commentary
The film has a nuanced approach towards the controversy that surrounds GMOs, something which no one has done before. In this world, technological progress is achieved alongside the unfettered corporate greed of profit-seeking opportunists who’ll manipulate truth at a moment’s notice to retain preeminence in the marketplace. While the film does not take a black and white stance on morality, there is palpable sympathy towards those who are deeply questioning the system and attempting to shine a light.
The film revolves around the right to know—consumers being aware of the composition, origin, and health implications of their food. Sophie’s tireless quest for the truth encapsulates the growing rage concerning the inadequacy of food labeling and the lack of objectivity in the regulatory bodies.
Another focus of the film is the conflict of science with business. Consumed also features Serge Negani and Dr. Jacob Leifman, demonstrating how business can alter or impede scientific research. If the truth is inconvenient, careers will be dismantled, research will be stifled, and silence will be paid for.
Apart from the politics, the film explores the impact of contemporary parental dilemmas in today’s complex world. Sophie’s path is one filled with intimidating obstacles, acute anger, and uncontrollable despair. Her portrayal is quite powerful to truly grasp how it feels to advocate for your child while nobody else cares to hear their cries.
Cast and Performances
Zoe Lister-Jones is captivating in the role of Sophie. The mother’s desperation mixed with resolve is a performance that almost any other actress would oversimplify and lean into stereotypical territory. She lacks the virtue of choice and she is not an activist or a scientist; rather, she is an ordinary individual who takes action due to circumstances beyond her control. That quality of everywoman is what grounds the film on an emotional level.
Serge, an idealistic scientist ready to risk it all to expose the truth, is a character in which Kunal Nayyar, widely recognized as a comedian, exhibits unexpected depth. As Hal Westbrook, a farmer in unsustainable conflict with contemporary mores, Danny Glover takes the role with imposing gravity. As the chilly and calculating CEO of Clonestra, Victor Garber loses all warmth and becomes the embodiment of the impenetrable shield of corporate power.
Supporting roles brought to life by Taylor Kinney, Anthony Edwards, and Beth Grant are performed credibly and for the most part remain true to the reality of the plot, even when world is verging on a thriller.
Reception and Impact
Consumed has sparked mixed critical reactions where some consider its ambition and message praiseworthy while others believe the film is too earnest or one-sided when it comes to portraying the GMO debate. Very few however, deny the film’s success in sparking conversation. It attempts something drastic for mainstream cinema: taking on the hot button and politically divisive issue of genetically modified foods, and doing so without falling victim to simple black-and-white deductive reasoning.
Having analyzed the entire film, it becomes clear that the message itself vastly tends towards skepticism and caution towards GMO practices. Consumed’s greatest success lies in the fact that it provides its audiences not with answers, but with questions. The film attempts to urge viewers to think critically about the issues place before them, sculpting a narrative that is bound to be controversial.
Conclusion
Consumed is an unusual form of thriller that, alongside attempting to entertain, informs and provokes its audiences. The film brings into perspective the often abstract debates surrounding people’s dietary choices, their health, ethics, and turns them into an understandable narrative. It attempts to capture the essence of a film about the price paid for speaking truth in a world where it can be commodified, distorted or erased. Regardless of one’s stance on the film, Consumed is bound to leave the audience pondering even after the credits roll.
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