IOUSA - A Documentary Movie Examines the National Debt
Although this website is generally about consumer debt, a Washington Post review of a new documentary movie caught my eye recently. It did so when it said the nation’s looming economic crisis would make the Great Depression look like a market correction. I expected it to be talking about the foreclosure crisis or credit crunch, and was surprised to find out that the documentary’s focus is the national debt.
The movie, I.O.U.S.A., is debuting next Thursday, August 21, and I’m sure it hopes to capture the nation’s interest in documentary films and turn that attention during the current economic environment to the mounting problem of the national debt.
Here’s the movie trailer:
Documentary movies such as Michael Moore’s Roger and Me (the story of Flint and GM), Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me (McDonald’s), and Al Gore’s global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, have captivated the nation in recent years and created a buzz about the issue at the center of the movie. It will be interesting to see if IOUSA will be able to bridge the gap between raising awareness and causing a change in the spending habits of the nation’s government.
The current economic climate created by the real estate downturn plays in the movie’s favor, as the collapsing debt market and credit crisis makes the potential for an economic crisis caused by the national debt seem much more likely than it would have just a few years ago. It will be interesting to see, though, whether Americans unwillingness to talk about their own personal debt issues effects the popularity of and buzz around I.O.U.S.A.
For those interested, here’s an interview by RealTVfilms.com with IOUSA director Patrick Creadon:
Visit the website for more information about I.O.U.S.A. - The Movie.
