Occupy the Movie (Corey Ogilvie, 2013): Canada

Reviewed by Cecilia Gonzalez. Viewed at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara

What is “Occupy”? The most clear way that I was able to understand its meaning from watching the film Occupy the Movie, was occupying a space. It was taking a stance on a significant issue. The issue being stated in this film is the control and take-over of big business, banks, and the government over the average person. The average person is more specifically seen as the 99% person of the people who reside in the U.S, or also known as, the working class. The working class consists of anyone working while attending college, to those already in college who don’t have the big jobs that start with the big letter C, for instance; CEO, CFO, etc.

Fear becomes a ubiquitous action for the leaders of the occupy movement. However, they override those feelings with taking action on an issue they were passionate about. Whether it be fear of losing a home to foreclosure, fear of being evicted from the park, or fear of being beaten by the authority (NYPD). However, for the leaders of the occupy movement in New York, fear became non-existent, but instead, strength, bravery, and perseverance became their feeling of choice. One gentleman in particular mentioned how he reached a point where he was facing a wall of policemen, all the while he was blocking and protecting his fellow protestors and “occupyees”. He said, he reached a point where he was looking a cop straight in the eye and the cop’s face was just inches away from his, and at that point he was fearless.
This film not only exposes the true blood, sweat, tears, and fears of the strong, brave, passionate and diverse group of occupiers from coast to coast, but also did a wonderful job of reminding us of past groups and its leaders who overcame a challenging time in history and overcame their fears for the greater good of all people, and in hopes of changing the future for the better. For instance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was presented in stock footage during the significant time in history that he graced our Earth, and his impact on the future of the African-American people. However, we also see that he didn’t do it by himself, but with the help of others that ranged in ethnicity and background of all colors and types. As utterly stated, this movement has become a “transgenerational movement”. In other words, its become a movement that has inspired, moved, motivated, and informed people of all age groups.

What the hundreds of thousands of people did in the two months in New York City and cities all around the world has transcended the limits of what we may think we are capable of doing in our lifetime. For example, on two instances, a group of occupyees went into a city courtroom where a home auction was taking place for an African-American paramedics home, and once the action began taking place the group began singing and ultimately ending the auction on the woman’s home, and halting the auctioning process of 1 out of 4 homes that day–something they were very proud of. The occupyees described that feeling of taking one less home off the foreclosure list as “a moment when, your mind, body, and soul take control over you and do something you never thought you could do”. I think that’s what happens when passion overcomes fear.
This documentary film obviously took a lot of time and hard work from the two young men who created it. It is evident that it took a lot of pre-production work to contact some of the political figures, and financial analysts to give their opinion on the matter. However, one thing that especially caught my attention, was that the director Corey, mention that the film would not be possible without social media. Something that is significant to the time this film took place. This film made me feel empowered to take control of the important issue during my lifetime that can have a significant impact on my future, as well as the generations that come after me. This film also made me think about how this generation needs to be the one that makes the change for everyone else. Hope has to not be a mere idea, but a concrete concept that leads us to the safety, support, and security we need to live a better life. Justice for all is not just something written in our constitution, but is instead something we are fighting for from the hierarchy that is in place to protect us, instead the 1% is left to protect ourselves.