OPEN SESAME: THE STORY OF SEEDS

Director: M. Sean Kaminsky
Cast: Bill McDorman, Vandana Shiva
Studio: TDC Entertainment

THE PLOT THUS FAR:

One of the world’s most precious resources is at risk. This film will help others learn what is at stake and what can be done to protect the source of nearly all our food: SEEDS. While the price of gold and oil skyrockets the fate of our most priceless commodity is ignored. Seeds provide the basis for everything from fabric, to food to fuels. They are as essential to life as the air we breathe or water we drink… but given far less attention. Over the past one hundred years, seeds have steadily shifted from being common heritage to sovereign property. This film tells the story of seeds by following the challenges and triumphs of some of their most tireless stewards and advocates.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

“Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds” could be easily dismissed as another anti-Monsanto film. While I don’t have as many issues with GMOs as others, I do believe that you can’t talk about seeds without bringing them up. However, I found the lack of any history for the process to be rather staggering. Any school kid can’t read about the subject without someone bringing up Mendel with every other sentence. Still, I could’ve done without so many scenes of hippies crying about vegetation.

The importance of seeds goes alongside human existence. We need to eat, we need to sustain and we need to continue. The interviews try to make the case against scientific manipulation of seeds, but I question the findings. While some naturalists might believe that GMOs are bad, how do you explain that to a kid starving in the Sudan? A family starving in Detroit or Appalachia? The documentary didn’t answer that for me and it put me in a sour mood for the rest of the program.

Documentaries like this aren’t for everyone. However, it’s a pretty strong DVDVOD release. The A/V Quality holds up for an indie documentary. There’s a few interviews and some deleted scenes to be had. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 02/10/2015