80
No mere Western-guilt-inducing harangue, this highly informative documentary by British brothers Marc and Nick Francis is a model of patient storytelling.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
Black Gold is more an Al Gore-style message of hope than a total downer.
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Bill White
There are shocking facts and supportive images, but the film lacks investigative spirit.
50
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Some documentaries are so well-made they transcend the nature of their subjects. This is not one of them.
88
If you've never given much thought to the lives affected each time you choose one brand of coffee over another, allow this handsomely mounted documentary from British filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis to serve as a bracing, double-shot of reality.
50
There's been a proliferation of "globalization sucks" documentaries over the past couple of years, but few have been as blunt as Black Gold.
80
Film Threat by Pete Vonder Haar
The film's effectiveness is bolstered by juxtaposed scenes of fat and happy Americans and Europeans slurping up frozen chai lattes and clucking about how big Starbuck's is getting with scenes of children going into "therapeutic feeding centers" in the region where Starbuck's gets its coffee because they can't afford to by corn.
80
The Francises are aces behind the camera, displaying an elegant sense of composition that makes their subject visually ravishing. Andreas Kapsalis' gorgeous score lends doc a grand quality.
70
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
One of the most disquieting (and challenging) statistics is left for last: if Africa's share of world trade increased by only one percentage point, it would generate $70 billion a year, five times what the continent receives in aid. Who wouldn't want that?
63
A dry but enlightening documentary.