Percy Schmeiser – what a name that is, it sounds like a beer brand: Schmeiser beer, non-alcoholic. The head of the eco-organization, which is supposed to organize a crowdfunding campaign for Schmeiser, complains, but not only finds the name unsuitable. The campaign is pointless, Schmeiser has no chance. The large Monsanto corporation sued Schmeiser because the rapeseed farmer is said to have planted genetically modified and patented seeds on his fields without a license. Instead of paying the fine for violating patent law, Schmeiser wants to take the matter to court.
It is the old story of David against Goliath that the movie “Percy” tells, and how such battles end, in the cinema and in the Bible, is well known. In reality, the stories usually end differently – but “Percy” is based on a true case.
Percy Schmeiser became a symbol of the anti-genetic engineering movement and a role model for many independent farmers after the farmer from the Canadian province of Saskatchewan asserted himself in a dispute against Monsanto through all legal instances. In 2007 he received the Alternative Nobel Prize for his commitment. In 2009 Bertram Verhaag told Schmeiser’s story in the documentary “David versus Monsato”.
The farmer hates public appearances, even the photo for the driver’s license is too much for him
In the feature film by Clark Johnson, Oscar winner Christopher Walken embodies the Monsanto conqueror: gnarled monosyllabic, conservative integrity, a rural archetype, as photographed by August Sander. Schmeiser’s genome was not developed by biochemists, but as the son, grandson and great-grandchild of farmers, he seems to have genetically anchored resistance to all kinds of influences. He does what he thinks is right for himself, his family and his farm, even if his lawyer (Zach Braff) strongly advises him to compare with Monsanto and his neighbors now call him a “seed thief”. When Schmeiser gets up in the middle of the chorale at the beginning of the film and leaves the service because a storm is approaching and he wants to catch up with his rap, it is immediately clear where the priorities are. He grows his seeds himself. He is not interested in GM oilseed rape.
Director Clark Johnson, who himself worked as an actor and has also directed various popular TV series such as “Homeland”, staged Schmeiser’s story as cautiously solid as it suits his down-to-earth hero. Christopher Walken lends Schmeiser his authority and charisma, although the driftiness of Walken’s earlier film characters also resonates. Schmeiser’s stubbornness and his attachment to the plaice could also be viewed critically. But the sympathies of the film are clearly with the country folks, once Schmeiser hangs a Monsanto informant by luring him with his car into a deep puddle of mud, where the car gets stuck. This is the provincial vengeance on the city.
In terms of content, the film contributes little to the debates to which it is based. Is genetic engineering a means against hunger in the world? Can there be a patent right to life? And is the farmers’ dependence on large corporations like Monsanto a continuation of the serfdom from which Schmeiser’s ancestors fled the Old World?
Hyperactive with few scruples: Christina Ricci as public relations worker Rebecca Salcau in the service of the green, GM-free cause.
(Photo: PVM Productions / Mongrel Media)
Such questions resonate, but are not deepened. For those who have not dealt with the ethical, legal or economic issues surrounding industrial agriculture, “Percy” can be an entry point. Last but not least, the controversial weed killer glyphosate plays an important role. Monsanto had marketed the herbicide under the name Roundup since the 1970s, and it kills all plants with the exception of those that are genetically engineered to be resistant to the poison. Such “Roundup-Ready” rapeseed plants were found on Schmeiser’s field. How did he get the genetically modified plants? Schmeiser explains in court that the seeds must have been blown over by the wind from a neighboring field or landed on his fields from a damaged sack of seeds. He allegedly did not notice the “contamination” (in reality, the case was more complicated ).
The townspeople are, of course, almost all hyperactive idiots who end up in the mud puddle
The fact that the world learns of Schmeiser’s case is (at least in the film) thanks to Rebecca, an activist for organic agriculture, who plays Christina Ricci as a less scrupulous, somewhat annoying hyperactive public relations worker in the service of a good cause. Your organization wants to set a precedent for Schmeiser’s case. She accepts that the farmer would be bankrupt in the event of a legal defeat. Schmeiser, who never wanted to go public (“when he needed a photo for his driver’s license, it was too much of a spotlight for him,” says his wife) is sent to lectures all over the country, eventually even to India.
The message that the film wants to convey is conveniently formulated by Schmeiser himself on the various podiums. The fact that “Percy” also works as a film is due to the excellent actors, a good camera and many nice script ideas. Often it is about the culture clash of town and country, the encounter of the down-to-earth people with those who are mobile in every respect and often hyperactive. For example, when Rebecca was eating with Percy and his wife in their provincial diner, she asked annoying questions about ingredients and preparation (how the fries would be fried – answer: in the deep fryer) when ordering, whereupon Rebecca noticed at some point that she felt like she was in “Fargo”. What is meant, of course, is the film and its location – Fargo as the epitome of the backwoods nest. But Percy’s wife is a little proud. Fargo? She has been there before.
Percy Vs Goliath, Canada 2020 – Director: Clark Johnson. Book: Garfield Lindsay Miller, Hilary Pryor. Camera: Luc Montpellier. Starring: Christopher Walken, Christina Ricci, Zach Braff, Roberta Maxwell, Luke Kirby. Distribution: MFA, 99 minutes.