You are here:

99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film

Name: 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film
Director: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic
Released: 2013
Duration: 92 min

Representation Score

9.4/10

Excellent

2013

Director

Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Krstic

Runtime

92 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

99% serves as a cinematic archive of the Occupy Wall Street movement, emphasizing the collective ability to act of a heterogeneous demographic. The film succeeds by presenting a diverse, multi-ethnic coalition that challenges traditional, homogeneous views of political dissent. The documentary's strength lies in its cultural critique and its ability to integrate various identities into a unified struggle against systemic power. It avoids including someone from a minority group without giving them real depth by framing LGBTQ+ and multi-ethnic perspectives as essential components of the broader social justice movement. However, the film remains heavily focused on socio-economic grievances, which occasionally leaves disability and specific gendered narratives in the subtext. While it captures a wide spectrum of people, certain identity-based struggles are secondary to the primary economic thesis.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film captures the multi-layered nature of the LGBTQ+ movement by documenting individuals within protest spaces. These identities are integrated into the collective pursuit of social justice rather than being treated as isolated tokens.

How does 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film portray gender?

Good

The documentary disrupts traditional hierarchies by centering collective political action over individual patriarchal leadership. It provides visibility to various gendered perspectives while prioritizing a unified, multi-gendered front against institutional power.

How racially and ethnically diverse is 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film?

Excellent

The film excels in depicting a multi-ethnic and multi-generational coalition. By documenting the heterogeneous makeup of Zuccotti Park, it presents a mosaic of participants that challenges Anglo-centric depictions of activism.

How does 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative offers a profound critique of neoliberal capitalism and the corruption of democratic institutions. It frames the protesters' defiance as a necessary reclaiming of control against oppressive corporate interests.

Does 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film include disability representation?

Fair

Specific focus on neurodivergence or physical disability is less pronounced than the central economic themes. However, the film's emphasis on healthcare access provides a subtextual framework for systemic vulnerabilities.

Present on Screen

Provides a rich, multi-ethnic depiction of a diverse political coalition.
Integrates LGBTQ+ identities into the broader narrative of social justice.
Offers a profound systemic critique of neoliberal capitalism and corporate influence.

Limited or Absent

Lacks a pronounced focus on neurodivergence or physical disability as central drivers.
Economic themes occasionally overshadow specific gendered perspectives and narratives.

Official Synopsis

This award winning documentary, narrated by Lou Reed, explores the breadth and depth of Occupy Wall Street and how it quickly grew from a small park in lower Manhattan to an international movement. The film highlights why people from diverse age, ethnic and financial backgrounds support the movement and its focus of removing money from politics in order to reclaim democracy from entrenched corporate interests so that critical issues including job creation, affordable access to health and education, protecting the environment and gun safety can be fully addressed. Featuring interviews with a wide range of subjects including Occupiers, economist Jeffrey Sachs and business magnate Russell Simmons.

How are these scores produced? →