It’s doubtful anyone can have a middling response to “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward.” The 2-hour, 44-minutes documentary is one of those creations that either makes you cheer that someone is finally, really speaking truth to power, or that the filmmaker should be locked in a freezer at the bottom of a deep, deep hole.
Released theatrically in 60 countries, 31 languages, 295 cities and 341 venues, this last installment of a trilogy by Peter Joseph has been described as the largest non-profit independent film release in history. And now it’s available, for free and in its entirety, on the Internet.
“Moving Forward,” in short, presses the conclusion that war, poverty, crime — nearly all of our social crises — can be traced to an addiction to material profit. The film finds fundamental problems in the monetary policy of giants such as John Locke and Milton Friedman. In Joseph’s view, an effective economy efficiently distributes goods and services throughout society with as little waste as possible.
We can hear all the Anthill’s business-minded and entrepreneurial readers squirming in their seats. Fair enough. While we won’t go so far as to say “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” is required viewing, we will say that it challenges (or confirms) your worldview in as compelling a manner as you will find anywhere.
And there’s something exciting about a movie designed for free internet distribution. Because we know it won’t make millions from the merchandise.