Taking on income inequality is no easy task. Arguably, the gargantuan social plight is embedded within the fabric of America, splaying calcified tentacles throughout its institutions and gaining strength by the second as it eludes justice with its fundamental over-complications. Director Sean Claffey’s documentary Americonned dares to take on this challenge.
While an overly confident opening sequence showcases a beautifully diverse imagery of American life, the film’s participants speak thoughtfully on the ideology of income inequality. Then, Americonned issues its call to action, stating in the title sequence that it’s “Time to Rise.” The film does well in illuminating what we should rise from, and even does what it can to explore why we should rise from it. But it never delivers on the how. With so many threads to unravel, the film morphs from a confident war to a whimper, potentially leaving its viewer in a place where they may have learned a little bit more about what most already surmised, without much guidance or clarity on what to do about it.
After its lengthy and well-constructed prologue, Americonned opens with Christian Smalls. The Staten Island-based union organizer took on Amazon in his hometown and won, becoming the president of the Amazon Labor Union. Small’s story would work as a stand-alone feature documentary. There are charming moments as we visit his family and witness his loving walks with his son. His tattoos, gold teeth and swagger contradict stereotypes as we watch Smalls travel the country and diligently wait outside of Amazon HQs in hopes of speaking with workers and inspiring them to unionize. Although the battle between unionization and the corporate machine that works to eradicate it does not necessarily showcase income inequality more so than it exposes a facet of worker subjugation, Smalls’ short time on screen is compelling. This is where Americonned does its best work. It is a conversation starter for the uninitiated. For anyone else, it’s preaching to the choir.
Americonned takes many pit-stops during its run time. The tentacled villain is presented through homelessness, price gouging, corporate greed, denouncement of the eviction ban, Covid lay-offs, Citizen’s United, the Federalist Society, the diminishment of the middle class and union busting. There are so many asides that you begin to wonder, “what did director Claffey fail to cover?” There are even questionable stretches to check off the January 6th Insurrection as a by-product of income inequality. The smorgasbord of topics eventually hurt the film, dampening the effect while watching. With so many differing issues that only have a fraction of connection to the main thesis, the documentary becomes an exploitative overload with no clear vision.
There is an interesting sequence where Claffey visits a dilapidated apartment complex in Orange County where young black mothers are facing eviction. The eviction ban should still be in effect, but they face a systematic lack of empathy and must figure out their next steps as they watch their white landlord and her sons board up the property. It’s a striking juxtaposition to the white family deciding to downsize from their waterfront-adjacent San Francisco home due to lack of rental regulation. They were ultimately able to find a new home, paying a year’s worth of rent in advance. Claffey decides not to take on the issue of race within his observation of income inequality. And these images and people not being properly explored give way to the probability of affirming prejudicial stereotypes. It doesn’t balance out the conversation, and it becomes more of a political talking point of accountability more than it captures income inequality.
Americonned shows how the working class is struggling. It doesn’t answer any questions, nor does it offer any hope for a better future. The practice of income equality is deep rooted, and the conversation has many more layers than can fit into a 100-minute think piece. Claffey is on the right track. The film is best utilized as a starting point to identify the many consequences of inequality. Hopefully, the torch will be lit, and it will inspire other challengers to take on the gargantuan subsets. As an eye opener, the film will shake the uninitiated. As a call to action, Claffey raises a fist for a convoluted cause.
Photo courtesy of Shine the Light Films
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