“Consumed” advocates for environmental change

“Consumed” advocates for environmental change

From the moment Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe owner Glen Colello began auctioning off “Nutola” and flax seed crackers as movie snacks, it was evident that “Consumed” would not be your average film experience.

The action movie, produced by Staples alum Daryl Wein ’02, follows anxious mother Sophie (Zoe Lister-Jones) as she uncovers answers about her son’s new mysterious illness and more importantly, the far-reaching impact that a GMO company, Clonestra, has on people’s lives and Americans’ health in general.

The story, based on true events, “really promoted the message that more research needs to be done on these crops,” Colello said, when asked about his initial reaction to the film.

“Consumed” begins with Garrett, the son, developing an unidentifiable disease. As Sophie researches, she realizes that the disease could be connected to GM (genetically modified) foods. While she searches for answers, she encounters a poor farmer (Danny Glover) struggling to survive a patent battle with Clonestra, an ex-Clonestra researcher ousted for knowing too much information, a cop who bullies Clonestra’s enemies and a current researcher who was cheated out of his patent by the company.

The more people she gets involved, though, the more Clonestra gets involved. “Consumed” becomes a full-on homicidal, battle-for-survival, investigation, activism thriller.

Although there was a clear critique of the omnipresence of GMO corporations in the food industry, Wein responsibly portrayed the issue. One organizer of the event, Tara Cook-Littman (founder of GMO Free CT) said that the movie “presented the concerns and questions we all have, but let us come to our own conclusions.”

“Consumed” was backed with an abundance of research and a clear passion for educating audience-goers about GMOs, a tribute to the director’s lifelong involvement with environmental issues.

In fact, Wein was interested in environmental issues even as a TV Production student at Staples. TV Production teacher Jim Honeycutt nostalgically recalled that Wein was always “aware of environmental issues” and actually made his first movie, “Reah,” about a world in which the ozone was depleted.

“Consumed” will be playing in the area at Bow-Tie Cinemas Criterion Cinemas New Haven and the National Amusement Fairfield.