Educational Media Reviews Online

The title is a play on words, as the film is not at all about the exchange of commodity contracts, but the sale of the future of a country’s identity, specifically Greece, by way of its sale and repurposing of its real estate.

The audience is presented with conversations among real estate entrepreneurs, and the manners in which they are reclaiming credit-driven real estate development. The filmmakers tacitly state that this practice not only represents short term, short-sighted gains, but is eroding cultural heritage and the quality of living in Greece. The film offers sales pitches by real estate salespeople seeking investors, and despite the overall tone of the film, these entrepreneurs are not depicted as being terribly avaricious.

This work is beautifully filmed, and the music is gorgeous. The total work, however, persistently holds forth subtlety and filmmaking craftsmanship at the cost of a concise delivery of a clear message. A great deal of time is spent eavesdropping on developers’ conversations and their plans for parks, business plazas, ornate office buildings, and hotels, but no counterpoint is given until a visit to a 92 year-old thrift dealer at the end of the film.

The film’s periodic insights are notable, such as a brief assessment of Mattel’s [then] struggles. Yet these insights are scattered throughout, and are not the primary thrust of the work.

Futures Market is a cultural study rather than an explanatory business documentary. While documentaries can indeed offer artistry in their delivery, and in doing so have an emotional impact, this documentary sacrifices overall intensity for drama. The film’s message is distinct and it is indeed powerful, but it is drawn out to the pace of a crawl. This approach can be done well, as with National Public Radio’s inclusion of background sounds and samples of local color as accents to their stories. Here, the prevalence of this technique constitutes the vast majority of the nearly 2 hour enterprise.

This is much more of a piece of art than a documentary. The stills, dramatic lighting, and overall visual appeal are all quite a spectacle. The emotional impact cannot be understated, as a struggling but kindly 92 year-old is forced to deal with how he may finance his own funeral expenses. With due credit to all of these fine attributes, this work is far from a lean exposition and/or demonstration of an investment-centered work. As a piece of art and storytelling, this film stands as an accomplishment; as a succinct, focused piece of informative content, it fails.

Awards

• 2011 Visions Du Reel