Educational Media Reviews Online

The Forgotten Space is a work of poetic nonfiction that explores the social and economic impact of the global supply chain. Filmmakers Allan Sekula and Noel Burch organize their musings alongside a tour of major seaports in the Netherlands, the U.S. and China. Interviewee Minqu Li, a political economist in China, provides a succinct overview of the problem the film aims to address; “Capitalism must have high profits. And for that to happen you need to keep the labour costs low.... you need to keep the environmental costs low.” The Forgotten Space aims to connect a human face to these costs. Throughout the film the seemingly innocuous shipping container box follows along the same route, serving as a physical manifestation of global capitalism.

Sekule, a photographer, and Burch, a film theorist, have created a beautifully shot, anti-globalization essay film that is reflexive of their individual talents and political views. The Forgotten Space is cobbled together from observational footage, a pontificating narration and interviews with both economic experts and citizens. The most compelling parts of the film are the interviews with port city citizen whose livelihoods have been significantly impacted by the elimination of jobs, low wages and displacement brought on by this new global economy.

The circuitous and partisan nature of the film allows The Forgotten Space to stand out among the abundance of current anti-globalization documentaries, but may make the film difficult to use in a straightforward entry level teaching context. The film is recommended for advanced studies in environmental studies, philosophy, economics, political science and film studies.