Currency
becomes “fiat” money when it is no longer backed by something with intrinsic
value, typically precious metals, but relies solely on warm fuzzy feelings for
the national government. Historically,
this has not worked well, but our leaders (elected and otherwise) have chosen
to go down this path, nonetheless. So
how much confidence do you have in the Federal government today? In 2019 they have even less, but the Feds
have doubled down on measures to control economic freedom. An organized resistance targets the intrusive
state bureaucracy where it hurts the most, minting their own silver currency in
Pasha Roberts’ animated dystopian feature Silver
Circle (trailer
here), which
opens this Friday in New York.
Six
or so short years from now, the Federal Reserve tries to control the housing
market with the same ham-fisted techniques they apply to the money supply. To keep housing prices up, they remove units
from the market. Those who do not
willing sell out are forcibly evicted.
This often leads to outrage and protests. In fact, one demonstration against the Fed’s
Department of Housing Stability turns violent when uniformed HouStab officers
start firing into the crowd.
An
honest HouStab investigator like Jay Nelson will not be assigned an incident
like that. Instead, he is sent out to probe
multiple cases of suspected arson at a long vacant housing development HouStab
deliberately mothballed. However, his
investigation leads him to Zoe Taylor, an underground activist with evidence
linking nefarious doings to the current Fed chairman, Victor Brandt. This all rather alarms the off-the-books
thugs Brandt has tailing Nelson, particularly since it threatens to rock the
boat exactly when Congress is considering legislation to make the Fed chairmanship
a lifetime appointment.
It
is hard to believe a film giving Ron Paul a shout out for economics (as opposed
to foreign policy) would open in New York, but here it is. Frankly, HouStab’s tactics and excesses are
frighteningly believable in the current political climate. It is all too easy to see how we would get
from here to there in six years.
Unfortunately,
Circle’s prophet cautionary note is
wrapped in a painfully crude animated package.
Inexpressive and awkward looking, the figures simply do not measure up
to current standard of indie animation. Typically,
they do not even walk, they waddle. They
are also rather charmless. Given the
dramatic context, Taylor is clearly meant to be a traffic-stopping beauty, but
she’s not going to make any fanboy forget Jessica Rabbit. Oddly enough, the graphic novel version
available on the film’s website looks considerably better.
