“Occupy. Resist. Produce.” Sounds like the lyrics to a Sepultura song. Something like that anyway. Here, they are the brave words of unemployed workers in Argentina who take back the shut down factories they formerly worked as their own, employing themselves at their own terms in an attempt to stabilize their lives, as well as the Argentine economy. It’s a boot up the a*s for the powers that be, not only those in Argentina, but the world. For the viewer, it’s a shot of inspiration and hope sorely needed due to the sorry state of the world today.
The 2001 economic collapse in Argentina found the otherwise highly prosperous middle class factory workers suddenly slumming it, living way below the poverty line. Unable to support themselves, much less their own families, little hope was left in this once industrious Buenos Aires suburban neighborhood. It had been reduced to a ghost town thanks to corporate bullyboys. But what little hope was left inspired the workers at several different factories to rise up and take over the factories that were abandoned by their owners, kicking them out in the streets without work. Fantastic results are produced, be it at a ceramics factory, an auto parts plant or a garment workshop, and these workers are not only able to support themselves once again, but these worker operated factories are more productive than they were under corporate ownership. Of course, once the corporate heads and politicians catch wind of this, they want a piece of the action, or rather, they want to take back what they once carelessly threw away. This finds the workers fighting to keep their factories amidst a political showdown as election day is drawing near for the Argentine people to vote for their new president – it’s a showdown that’s just as creepy as the U.S. went through recently and just as vital.
Besides it being an emotional rollercoaster of true life events, “The Take” is an extremely well produced piece of work in every sense of the word. It’s an intense ride and one that everyone needs to take. It shows how the People can possibly change their world, that they don’t need these oppressive powers looming over them, dictating their lives. Perhaps if more people in the U.S. saw this film and were inspired in the same way, there wouldn’t be as many of those awful looking red states on our map.
