Although I had work at 8AM this morning, my good friend recommended this film, and I thought, "There is no better time to watch an interesting documentary than when I should be cleaning my room/sleeping." When I was a little less than halfway through the film, my roommate knocked on my door. I had just seen the part of the film where they show common practices in the food industry. Needless to say, she found me crying my eyes out. She decided to watch the rest of the film with me, which led to awesome discussion and increased knowledge.
This documentary was written and directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson. Marisa, a vegan, found three people on craigslist to participate in a six week vegan challenge. She taught them everything they needed to know, and in turn, taught all those who have chosen to watch.
At the beginning of the film, each participant had their blood pressure and cholesterol taken, as well as their weight. The doctor explained to them the healthy way to become vegan and the many benefits. Marisa took the participants to a health food store, where she introduced them to many different dairy replacements. She also took them to an everyday market, where she pointed out other vegan food items. Some of these others include family favorites like oreos (which my roommate and I ate while watching the film) and teddy grahams.
Each participant documented their struggles. One of the participants, Tesla Lobo, had an especially hard time. Her mother was from Honduras, and her father was from Peru. Her dietary change made her unable to participate in family meals, which was very troublesome to her. This is something I relate to a lot because I strongly believe that food is communal. Changing your diet to something outside the norm can have a large impact on your social system.
Besides introducing them to these things and the common practices of the industry, they attended Vegetarian Summerfest, a conference in which many different committed vegans/vegetarians speak. (This would be so interesting to attend!) One organization, which attended, was the Christian Vegetarian Association, which I thought was totally interesting as a Christian wannabe vegetarian/vegan/ethical human.
They also visited a family-owned farm, an animal sanctuary, and an old slaughterhouse (which was eery as fudge). And they may or may not have snuck onto the property of a factory farm, where they saw horrible sights. You could see that they were becoming enraged by the practices and treatment of the animals.
Although they were enraged by their "vegucation," only one participant remained strictly vegan. Tesla became a vegetarian, and the other participant lived a "mostly vegan" life. The film has the potential to make a large impact because it shows the transition from a normal meat-loving adult to a passionate animal-loving wannabe vegan. For example, Tesla went from smelling her dog's food to suffice her craving for meat to living a vegetarian lifestyle. Although you see firsthand their passionate rage, you also see how this does not make the struggle any easier in light of community. The film is powerful because it shows one how to be vegan without minimizing the struggles involved in such a dietary change.
Oh, and did I mention that all the participants lost weight, had lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure by the end of the challenge. So, the health benefits are great!
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