'Generation Wealth' Shines A Light On The Topic Of Money & The Degree Of Importance We Attach To It
An insightful documentary exploring obsessions related to money, beauty and class.
Directed by the talented, Lauren Greenfield's 'Generation Wealth' exposes the extremities of obsessive behavior towards what is considered to be of value in our current society. The most prominent obsessions being over money, beauty and sex. Its constant portrayal in media has not always been the norm.
Greenfield explains that before the 70s or 80s other values were shown to the general public typically including hard work and family bonds. In contrast, now a lot of the most popular songs are about getting rich, music videos are filled with sexual imagery and most commercially selling brands portray almost an unattainable body type.
Being surrounded by these kinds of values might not actively affect the course of our lives or our personality, but as Lauren says in the documentary: she explores the extreme responses to these values to better understand the common effects they have on most people.
What is so special about the documentary is that Lauren follows several people for a period of 25 years. The individuals she follows in some way or another have sacrificed important aspects of their lives like family time, health or dignity to attain wealth.
Over the documented period of time, they all came to an understanding through different paths that love and other people are far more important than a luxurious lifestyle. Although the lesson might seem clear on paper being put into desperate situations or being surrounded by a culture glorifying money what's truly important in life might be blurred out. The subjects in the documentary seem to be close to Lauren as they all speak with sincerity about their experience and their perception of it. Consequently, their downfalls into the compulsive pursuit of wealth, beauty or power are understandable and shows how these kinds of circumstances can engulf anyone if they were in their place.
Overall, this documentary is fantastic as it takes a step back to evaluate what we are constantly shown in the media and how that might affect us and what we value in life.
