A Place at the Table Review

This riveting and informing film focused on the food security many face in today’s society. Surprisingly, one would not think food security exists in this country because we are known to produce plenty of food (while unhealthy) and there are restaurants everywhere. What’s important is that there are more fast food places than healthy food places and the idea of food security adds to a different twist in this film. There is an interesting way the filmmakers used research in this documentary to paint an accurate picture on the issues many Americans are facing today with food security. Unlike any other texts that many of us are familiar with, the research is presented in through a film/documentary. Most people would never think of a film to be considered a piece of text, but this film did provide useful information just like a typical study, article, journal, etc. would. The filmmakers in this documentary used research different in ways where their research is based on primary research and professional research. Raj Matel, an Author of the book “Stuffed and Starved,” and Marion Nestle, the author of “Food Politics” add value to the research done in the film. These authors add credible information and sources from people who know the issue accurately and can converse about it. The little girl used in research is the primary research as her lenses on the issue also adds as much value to this research because she is immediately impacted from food security. Additionally, the African American girl in this film who suffers from obesity also contributes to the research because has a disease that is a common health issue in America. Food security is an important issue and the filmmakers made sure to portray the information in an alarming way because it’s serious and it causes youth obesity, lack of healthy food available, etc. The fight for healthier foods and better school lunches from young women who do not have the proper resources to feed their children added to the pathos in this film. Overall, the research presented in this film is different yet it accomplishes important goals to ensure people are aware of these common issues.