A lot of nonfiction films of the social activist strain peddle scattershot panic or unfocused, call-to-arms rhetoric in lieu of taking the time to properly root down into a particular issue, present compelling characters or craft throughlines of a deeper and more sincere engagement. However well intentioned they might be, they fan the flames of discord, attacking those promulgating different opinions as backwards, uninformed or worse.
GMO OMG, which explores the loss of seed diversity and the rise in the genetic manipulation of food, is thankfully not one of those films. Directed by Jeremy Seifert, this bighearted, family-centric effort has no small amount of skepticism about the dubious efforts of companies like Monsanto and others to patent the building blocks of life (and sue out of existence the farmers that would deign to oppose them) but it’s powered by an honest curiosity rather than a completely predetermined agenda. Recognizing that minds are changed as much through the heart as a litany of facts, GMO OMG manages to provoke important self-reflection in viewers. For the full, original review, from ShockYa, click here. GMO OMG opens in Los Angeles at the Arena Cinema before expanding to various Laemmle theaters; for more information on the movie, click here to visit its website. (Submarine Deluxe/Natures Path/Compeller Pictures/Heartworn Pictures, unrated, 91 minutes)
