Sicko

Michael Moore’s Sicko is a very compelling movie that discusses the quality of healthcare in the United States.  According to Moore, the healthcare is in a terrible state in our country.  So bad in fact that the detainees in Guantanamo get better healthcare than us, the citizens, do.

Moore uses the camera to help portray him in a different light.  While on the boat driving to Guantanamo, Moore is seen in an upward shot looking very heroic.  It could be argued that this camera shot puts him on par with such heroes such as George Washington while crossing the Delaware.  The style of his movie is obviously a documentary.  The twist is that he brings a strange, and sometimes over the top, sense of humor.  Some critics would argue that there is no room for his humor in a documentary.  The only problem is that it works.  He is able to keep his audience focused on the movie.  This allows them to remember what they saw in the movie.  I believe that this is going to change documentaries for years to come.

If Michael Moore had written an essay, his style would have been much different.  First, he wouldn’t have been able use camera shots and angles to show him in a better, more heroic light.  I also believe that if Sicko had been an essay, he would have had to write it as a research paper.  As a movie, he was able to say what he did like it was a story.