Back to Business: Three Films that Make the Case for Reopening the World Economy By Lauren Ennis

For several weeks citizens across the globe have been instructed to 'stay home and save lives'. The reasoning behind this global shutdown was that if the coronavirus' spread was slowed each nation's healthcare system would remain intact and able to provide patients with the care that they need. As the weeks pass into months, however, it has become increasingly obvious that this effort to confront the pandemic has given rise to another, equally threatening crisis; an economic crisis. While it is universally acknowledged that private enterprise is the backbone of a modern economy, business is so much more than just a method for making money. Businesses great and small provide countless individuals with employment and allow employees and owners alike to pursue financial stability, self-improvement, and self-fulfillment. As the shutdowns in various states and countries continue, however, the doors of numerous businesses remain firmly shut, leaving business people stranded without a source of income. The longer that lock-downs remain in place the more difficult that it will be for businesses to reopen, and all too many may be forced to permanently closed. In a show of solidarity with businesses around the world and in an effort to remind those in power of the crucial role that business plays in society I'll be turning the spotlight on three films that highlight the crucial role that  business plays on an individual, societal, and cultural level.

Harry Selfridge: revolutionizing retail since 1909

Mr. Selfridge: At Selfridge's department store shopping was thrilling and work was fulfilling. Based upon the real life story of American entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, ITV's Mr. Selfridge invited viewers to become part of the Selfridge's team and reminded us all that the value of a job well done extends far beyond a paycheck. Through its portrayal of Selfridge and his employees the series highlighted the ways in which careers can transform lives. For example, in its depiction of shop-girl turned department manager, Agnes, the series shows the ways in which economic opportunity allows people to transcend their circumstances. At the series' start Agnes and her younger brother, George, find themselves trapped in a cycle of abuse and poverty. When both siblings find positions at the store, however, they are presented with the opportunity to rise above their troubled pasts and eventually make their own way to find success in both work and life. Similarly, ambitious waiter Victor utilizes his position at the store's restaurant to learn his trade and later fulfill his dream of owning his own restaurant.  Later in the series both single mother Tillie and scandal ridden divorcee Mae defy social stigmas and use their positions at the store to provide for and reinvent themselves. While the series explores numerous story lines and historical topics, its overarching theme is the enduring promise of the American dream, albeit in a London department store. Much like in the real life Selfridge's (where employees were regularly provided with then unheard of advancement and educational opportunities), in the world of the series anyone can create a better life for themselves and their families through hard work and ingenuity. It is the desire to make a better life that drives the series' fictional characters just as it has driven countless business owners and employees throughout history. As shutdowns continue in various states and countries, however, this desire is being discouraged and even punished. As long as businesses remain shuttered it is not just merchandise that is being shelved, but also the incomes, hopes, and dreams of business people. This is not to say that safety should be sacrificed in favor of financial stability, but instead that, just as the Selfridge's team so often did, it is time for leaders and businesses alike to adapt and innovate in order to move forward. The real life Harry Selfridge once said, "there are no hard times for good ideas". While the days ahead may be some of the hardest that we've known our leaders would do well to take a lesson from Mr. Selfridge and allow businesses to put their many good ideas regarding reopening the economy safely into action.

It's a lockdown life for us...

The Pursuit of Happyness: Few films capture the individual toll of unemployment and lack of economic opportunity as well as the 2006 drama The Pursuit of Happyness. Based upon the autobiography of stockbroker Chris Gardner, the film relates a tale of one man's journey from poverty to prosperity. The film begins with Gardner struggling to make ends meet meet selling medical scanners that most hospitals deem an unnecessary luxury. Despite his best efforts he, his wife, Linda, and their young son, Christopher, continue to live a 'hand to mouth' existence. Their financial struggles strain the couple's marriage until Linda finally walks out, leaving Chris to raise his son alone. As Chris' finances continue to deteriorate he and Christopher face eviction and finally homelessness. When Chris is offered an internship at prestigious brokerage firm Dean Witter Reynolds he recognizes the unpaid position for the opportunity that it is. Through the ensuing months he is determined to prove himself as both an employee and a father as he struggles to balance his work and family responsibilities, all while navigating life in the shelter system. Although the film ultimately reaches a triumphant ending, it never shies away from the all too real trials that Chris and his son faced, and that millions continue to face today. Throughout the film the script emphasizes the damaging effects of poverty upon the characters' lifestyles and relationships. For example, although Chris and Linda were shown to enjoy a loving, happy, relationship early in their marriage years of financial instability ultimately drive the couple to a bitter divorce. Similarly, the film aptly highlights the ways in which Chris' lack of economic opportunity leads him into a downward spiral that ultimately culminates in his being evicted and forced to stay in one of the city's overcrowded homeless shelters. The film's depiction of poverty's effect upon children is particularly poignant as it unflinchingly shows the ways in which the struggles of one generation inevitably carry on to impact the next generation. Some critics have contended that the film places too high of an emphasis upon Chris' pursuit of wealth, but those critics have missed the point of the film. While Chris' journey does include his struggle to earn an income in order to provide a healthy and stable life for his son, his success is not one that can be measured in dollars and cents. Instead, his success is best measured in the opportunities that he was able to obtain for both himself and his son. At one point in the film Chris tells his son, "Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do something...You got a dream you gotta' protect it. If you want something go get it. Period". In the midst of economic shutdown local, state, and national governments are in fact telling businesses and workers that they cannot pursue their professional goals, protect their dreams, or even do their jobs. As Chris notes throughout the film the Declaration of Independence does not guarantee happiness, but it does designate the pursuit of happiness as an unalienable right to all Americans. By keeping the economy shut down leaders are also shutting down the most crucial rights of citizens to liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Well said, Madam

Self-Made: Netflix's recently released miniseries Self-Made tells the larger than life tale of hair-care tycoon Madam C.J. Walker and shows us all how one person's dream can benefit an entire community. Born the child of slaves in 1867, orphaned at age seven, and widowed by age 20 Sarah Walker's beginnings were rife with strife and struggle. Her story is not one of tragedy, however, but instead one of incredible triumph as she rose to not only become one of America's first female self-made millionaires, but also a shining example of philanthropy and political activism. The series depicts the ways in which Walker's entry-level job in a local salon allowed her to leave her back-breaking job as a laundress behind and still provide for herself and her daughter. The series then shows how her entrance into the beauty industry renewed her confidence and sense of purpose. Even more significantly, this position also gave her the vital inspiration to embark upon her own career manufacturing hair care products to other women of color. She then began what would ultimately become more than just a business; the Madam C.J. Walker hair-care empire. Rather than merely concentrate upon profits and expansion, Walker constantly sought ways to use her business to give back to her community. Initially, she sought to provide other women of color with employment opportunities that would help them to escape poverty and provide them with employment options beyond domestic work. As her success grew, however, she recognized the ways in which her public role as a businesswoman could be used as a political platform. She then began using her business as a means to advocate for civil rights and women's suffrage, while donating her profits to the anti-lynching movement and educational organizations . Over one hundred years after her company was founded Sarah Walker's story remains a remarkable tale of the ways in which doing well allows us to also do good. Today businesses continue to follow Walker's example and serve the community at large, but they cannot do so if they are not permitted to open. Reopening businesses will revive communities so that together we can not only survive but thrive both during this pandemic and long after the last cases are reported.

Classics: A Review of Dallas Buyers Club By Lauren Ennis

What would you do if you were told that you had just thirty days left to live? In the Dallas Buyers Club Ron Woodruff is faced with that very question when he is diagnosed with AIDS. Although his diagnosis is functionally a death sentence, Woodruff refuses to accept defeat and begins what will prove to be the fight of his life as he embarks upon a battle against cultural stigmas, medical bureaucracy, and his illness. His real life efforts ultimately allowed him to live seven years-2,525 days longer than his original thirty day prognosis-before he succumbed to AIDS related complications in 1992 and helped pave the way for today's "right to try" laws.

The story begins in 1985 with Woodruff enjoying a risky lifestyle of riding bulls, snorting cocaine, and hiring prostitutes. His entire world screeches to a halt, however, when he consults a doctor regarding his persistent cough and fainting episodes and learns that he is not only HIV positive, but is suffering from AIDS. Desperate for more time, he arranges to illegally buy the experimental drug AZT after he is deemed too ill to take part in a clinical trial. When AZT proves toxic to his immune system, however, he learns of other drugs being touted as potential cures around the world which are not available in the US. With the help a disgraced doctor he then begins smuggling these alternative treatments into the US. When his symptoms begin to improve he realizes the lucrative potential of his new venture and begins selling treatments to other desperate AIDS patients, beginning what becomes known as the Dallas Buyers Club. Through this enterprise he offers his fellow AIDS sufferers "all the drugs you could want" in exchange for the hefty price of $400 per month. While his motives are initially strictly financial, as time goes on he witnesses the ways in which the regulations of the FDA and the medical establishment are inflicting almost as much damage on patients as the virus itself. He then springs into action and embarks upon a one-man crusade to secure patients' rights to have a say in their own treatment.

Dallas Buyers Club is a film that is every bit as unconventional, innovative, and ultimately empowering as the man and movement that inspired it. The film perfectly captures the anxiety, desperation, and despair that permeated the atmosphere of the AIDS crisis with an unflinching honesty. Through its portrayal of Woodruff's struggle to treat his illness the film also raises vital ethical questions about modern medicine. Throughout the film, Woodruff and his associates are treated as criminals for trying to have a say in their own treatment, and essentially told that the  medical establishment know best. As the story unfolds, however, his interactions with physicians and members of the medical and pharmaceutical industries consistently indicate otherwise. When he is first diagnosed with AIDS he is told that he has thirty days to live and instructed to "get your affairs in order" rather than provided with information about his illness or any alternative to passively accepting death. Similarly, when he raises concerns about AZT's toxicity his claims are dismissed in spite of the FDA and NIH's corroborating data. It is only when he travels to Mexico and receives treatment at the underground clinic of Dr. Vass that Woodruff is provided with what he needs to fight his illness; knowledge and hope. Throughout the film, the so-called experts characterize Woodruff as a reckless outlaw and even go so far as to refer to him as "a common drug dealer", but as he bluntly reminds them, it is these same experts who are knowingly providing terminally ill people with drugs that have the potential to cause irreparable harm. Even the judge presiding over his lawsuit against the FDA agrees that "If a person has been found to be terminally ill they ought to be able to take just about anything that they feel will help" before lamenting, "But that's not the law" when he is ultimately forced to rule in favor of the FDA. Ron Woodruff's struggles to determine his own treatment highlight the ways in which the pharmaceutical industry and government bureaucracy have all too often placed profits and prestige above patient welfare and denied countless people the right to maintain control over their own lives and bodies. While in recent years "compassionate use" or "right to try laws" have been implemented which allow terminally ill patients greater agency in their own treatments, these laws still require patients to obtain approval of their physician, the FDA, the company producing the drug, and their physician's institution.  Although it has been nearly thirty years since his passing, Woodruff's story remains strikingly relevant as the debate over experimental drugs to treat COVID-19 rages, with patients once again caught in the political and bureaucratic crossfire.

The film transports viewers back to the height of the AIDS crisis thanks to the superb work of its cast. Jennifer Garner exudes girl next door charm in her portrayal of conflicted physician Eve Saks and makes a perfect foil to Denis O'Hare's callous Dr. Sevard. Jared Leto is a revelation in his nearly unrecognizable performance as Ron's unlikely business partner, drug addicted transgender AIDS patient Rayon. Leto's performance goes beyond his physical transformation, which is impressive enough, as he fully embodies Rayon with wit, world weariness, and aching vulnerability. Matthew McConaughey is a force of nature as Woodruff, combining his signature southern charm with a cool charisma worthy of Paul Newman and a vital, poignant, desperation. In his hands Woodruff's journey from self-absorbed bigot to renegade activist avoids typical cinema cliches and acts as an apt tribute to the man behind the movement.

In its depiction of Ron Woodruff's life and legacy Dallas Buyers Club relates a story that is nothing short of inspiring. Through its equal parts gritty and intelligent script the film aptly portrays the devastation that was the AIDS pandemic while raising moral and ethical questions that remain strikingly topical in today's health crisis. The uniformly superb work of the film's cast brings Woodruff and his colorful cohorts to vivid life and pays fitting tribute to the millions who were and continue to be impacted by HIV. For must see viewing join Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in the Dallas Buyers Club.