It seems as though director Michael Moore enjoys stirring up
controversy when enlightening the world with his research and
conclusions. His past two films have placed him at the top of some
people’s most hated lists. In
his most recent film SICKO
(you can read my review of the film HERE),
Moore challenges the American health care system by comparing it to
other countries.
There is no doubt that SICKO will generate as much debate and
hatred as any of his other films. Let’s face it though, the man is
a genius and knows how to use his most powerful weapon of film
making to his advantage. Moore
sat down with us here in Cannes to redeem himself, defend his film
and reconfirm his beliefs based on factual findings through
extensive research. Check out
what the controversial documentary filmmaker had to say below…
Michael
Moore
Had you made any
specific arrangements with Cuba before your arrival there and were
they expecting you?
First of all, I want to say that I read in the NY Post
yesterday that the Bush administration is investigating the 9/11
rescue workers [from my film] who we took to Guantanamo Bay. If what
the Post is saying is true, I am stunned that they would go after
these rescue workers. I think that it is really shameful and it’s
not fair what the Bush administration is doing.
Go after me, go after the film but don’t g after but leave
these people alone who the government has refused to help and go
after them because they have gone to get help. I find that shameful.
In terms of going into Cuba, when we cut out the part about
getting in there, that was the satirical portion of the movie. There
was no homeland security issue involved here. We first approached
the Bush administration last October about wanting to go down there
and they kept stalling. By March, we decided we were going to go
down as journalists. They didn’t know that we were coming on the
boat.
When you were getting
the 9/11 rescue workers medical treatment, did it ever cross your
mind that you were making a great marketing piece for what is
essentially dictatorship?
While we were there and turned away from Guantanamo Bay, we
would have gone to wherever they had sent the Al-Quaida prisoners so
that these rescue workers could get the same medical attention as
they were getting. No more, no less.
We would have gone to whichever country the prisoners were
being kept but it was just Cuba because that’s where the Bush
administration decided to build the camp.
So, that’s where we ended up.
As for the health care, they received the same treatment as
all the other patients in the room.
It’s not just me saying this.
All the health organizations around the world have documented
the fact that the health system in Cuba is probably the best system
in the third world as far as health care goes.
One of the lady rescue workers [I took to Cuba with me for
medical attention] stayed around a little longer and said she wanted
to find out if the Cubans were doing this only because the cameras
were around or whether they would do this for anyone.
She went back downstairs, reentered the hospital, and went to
another window to check. She said that they did the exact same thing
with her as they did when she first came in. They asked her name,
date of birth and the nature of her health problem. Whether the
cameras were on or not, everyone foreigner or not was getting the
same medical attention. It was incredible to see the kind of
healthcare everyone was getting. If you interview these rescues
workers, they will tell you how grateful they are to have received
the medical attention.
In France, people get
paycheck to the government and in America; they keep wanting to pay
less and less taxes.
I did say in the film that the French are “drowning in
taxes.” Yes, Americans don’t want to pay taxes because they
never see the results. We
pay all these taxes and they can’t even get potholes fixed.
Nothing works! In
France, in Britain and in other places, they actually see tangible
results for the money they pay in taxes. We don’t see that.
That’s where the difference is.
If Americans actually saw tangible results in the amount of
taxes we pay then we would probably pay even more if we were
covered.
In regards to personal changes, we as Americans need to
restructure our thinking and believe that it is important to share
and restate the law so that everyone is covered. Are we wiling to do
that? No, people are always complaining that they don’t want to
stand in line and that they want a doctor right away.
I don’t think that that kind of mentality has done us well.
I think we need to learn to share and start behaving as they
call us…a Christian country. I’d like to see that.
People think that you
often oversimplify things and not tell the whole truth, which
attracts criticism. Why
do you do that?
I’m making a movie. I’m
not writing a book. I
have 98 – 120 minute time frame.
What you call over simplification, I call a rocking’ good
way to tell a story.
What has the Cannes
Film Festival done to you in terms of marketing your movies?
It is the most prestigious festival in the world so it’s an
honor to be asked to come here and there’s lot of good movies that
are shown. There is
nothing to sell because the movies’ already been sold.
It’s so hard making these film that we work hard at till
the last minute that it was just important to come to the south of
France to come here and be treated nicely.
Do you have any
immediate solutions for the US to implement immediately?
One thing we need to do is get the money out of politics and
reform so that we can’t buy our congress.
If we took the money out, we’d have a better chance of
getting the bills passed and have this health care and find the
solutions that we need. I
hope that people who watch this film will come become participants.
I’m a filmmaker and I never talk about the process of making movie
or what I think about movies. I’m
only equipped to answer political questions so far.
I’m not writing a book, I’m making a movie and I’m very
careful about the facts of my film.
The facts in my film are accurate and correct.
The fact is a fact. If
I say there are nearly 50 million people without health insurance,
that’s a fact. If I
say other health insurance is better than ours, that’s a
conclusion I’ve reached from the fact that I’ve seen it.
I feel that my crew and I do such a good job and go through
such an extenuating process on this film that goes way above and
beyond than any other publication.
I rarely get into a lawsuit.
I only got into one suit from BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and there
was one suit for FAHRENHEIT 9/11.
If I said things that were wrong, people would be coming at
me in all direction but they don’t because the things that are
said are true are actually true.
The conclusions and opinions I reach are mine. So the only
way the critics can come at me is to have a dispute on my opinions
or it has to with themselves and me.
How do doctors feel
about all socialized health care?
Doctors did not want free healthcare for the elderly and then
came Medicaid. Doctors have been on the wrong side of this issue for
a long time. They supported the HMO’s at first.
They thought they would make more money through insurance
companies and managed care and they didn’t realize that insurance
companies would be a lot smarter.
Doctors are demoralized and I think they will be the biggest
supporters of this film.
The Canadian health
care system isn’t necessarily better all the time because you
don’t always get immediate attention.
The things that they do right in the Canadian health care
system show that in an emergency situation, they are going to take
care of you and very quickly and very well.
If you need surgery and it’s not life threatening but could
make your life better, that kind of surgery will take a lot longer
because anytime you decide to share a pie with a table and if there
is someone who is a bit hungrier than others at the table,
wouldn’t the general feeling be to let them eat first? So for
someone who is having an aneurysm, you have to be in Canada for
something like that.
How many people did you
actually take down with you to Cuba for medical attention?
We had close to a dozen people roughly.
Did Jim, the person who runs a ‘hate Michael Moore’ website find out
that you were his guardian angel who sent him the anonymous check?
I left him a message recently to let him know that I was the
person who sent him the money because I wanted him to know before
the premiere of my film. I
received a very gracious note from him thanking me and wishing the
film well. I hope it
turns out ok.
Have you ever thought
about relocating to Canada?
Yes, I have during the draft years.
Otherwise, I would not live anywhere else other than the U.S.
I’d like to bring more of Canada or France to the US than to run
away.
What issue will you
focus on in your next film?
I got asked that a few years ago here in Cannes and the
insurance companies right away issued letters to their employees
forbidding them to talk with me and instructing them on how to avoid
the topic by using other topics of discussion like weight loss
[laughs]. So, I decided this time not to talk about my next film
because it’s hard as is for me.
I can say, my subject matter for the next film has already
been researched.