By Gina Reitsma:
The 2024 film, “The Grab,” directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, is a riveting documentary that follows journalist Nathan Halverson on his quest to track the throughlines between agriculture and increasing political tensions. Halverson tells us to “follow the money” and recounts his discoveries while researching. As a result of climate change, many countries have had to look elsewhere for food and water for their population. “The Grab” details a case of this in Arizona, where Saudi Arabia has purchased thousands of acres of land to grow hay to ship back to Saudi Arabia to feed their cattle, which in turn has caused the community surrounding the farm in Arizona to have water scarcity. The film also puts a large emphasis on what Halverson calls the “treasure trove,” which is an archive of documents and email correspondence that ties all these through lines together and identifies who is behind all of it.
I found all of the information to be very concerning. I had never thought about this kind of result of climate change before. It makes sense that leaders will want to feed their people, and when their land can’t provide that, they get desperate and reach out for anything they can get. It’s very disheartening to hear about Africans losing their ancestral land because someone in a different country bought it and ripped it right from under them. People will just keep taking, even if they are taking more than they need. We don’t have a food problem here on Earth, we have a distribution problem.
This film uses sweeping cinematic drone shots of the farms, making the
scale feel enormous. Some of the documentary was even framed like a suspense film. Music creates an atmosphere that can make or break a film’s reception. In the case of “The Grab,” the syncopated soundtrack built tension. There was a feeling of fear and suspense throughout the music like you’d feel while watching a thriller or horror film.
Overall, I felt “The Grab” was very illuminating. It brought attention to a problem that has been running in the background for many years out of the public eye. This global, agricultural issue is something that you may not even know is happening, which is why I believe it is a must-watch.
The Grab will be shown on Sunday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater (78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602), and via virtual livestream Tickets are free, reserve now: https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/2025-films-a-z-1/2025/3/17/the-grab
