ShareThis"THE UNION." (2007. NOT RATED. PEACE ARCH. $29.99.)
Most documentaries aim to challenge or provoke viewers, but "The Union," a long-winded call for the legalization of marijuana, merely lectures.
It's hard to imagine that a nearly two-hour film that fetishizes pot will win over anti-dope crusaders. Here in California, our society has at least warmed to medicinal marijuana; legalization is the logical next step. Yet you don't learn of any such progress from "The Union."
The pot smokers and growers interviewed here own a persecution complex the size of Canada, where most of the film was shot. The most interesting revelation is a peek at British Columbia's residential growing operations. From the real-estate brokers who purchase the ideal suburban homes to grow, to the clippers who work for $20 an hour tending the buds, the province supports an alleged $7 billion economy.
But even the filmmakers concede that figure is difficult to prove. The only voice against the legalization of marijuana appears in the form of a nerdy bureaucrat who gets shredded in a televised debate with former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.
This is not a thought-provoking documentary for folks who like to understand both sides of an issue. It's a rally cry directed at those who already agree with the filmmaker's original premise.
(E-mail Justin Berton at jberton(at)sfchronicle.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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