Strange Culture

Alternately teasing and terrifying, STRANGE CULTURE molds one man¹s tragedy into an engrossing narrative. In 2004, Steve Kurtz (Thomas Jay Ryan), an associate professor of art at the State University of New York, Buffalo, was preparing an exhibition on genetically modified food for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art when his wife, Hope (Tilda Swinton), died in her sleep of heart failure. But when paramedics noticed petri dishes and other scientific paraphernalia in the home, they alerted the F.B.I.; within hours Mr. Kurtz found himself suspected of bioterrorism, his home quarantined and his wife¹s body removed for autopsy. Filmmaker Lynn Hershman-Leeson bends the nonfiction form to her own unconventional will. The result is a fascinating collage of re-enactments, news clips and interviews, illuminating not only the implications of corporate meddling in the food chain but the ease with which innocent civilian behavior can become a suspicious act.

Category:

• Documentary

Tags:

• Documentary
• Steve Kurtz
• Dr. Robert Ferrell
• Tilda Swinton
• Peter Coyote
• Thomas Jay Ryan
• Josh Kornbluth
• Hope
• bioterrorist
• War on Terror
• Hazmat suits
• science
• Lynn Hershman Leeson
• Critical Art Ensemble
• paranoia
• hysteria
• Buffalo
• USA Patriot Act
• personal tragedy

[docttrent]

The Government is moving closer and closer to tierany. We have become a police state... Did you know that there are more people in prison in the united states per capita then in any other country in the world... Even Communist China, and what gets me is people want to give the government more power over there lives... Health Care, Child Protective Services, Ect Ect Ect.... it makes me sick.

[edpotkay1]

I am happy to tell everyone that they dropped the charges against Mr. Kurtz in 2008.

That is so sad about his wife.

This story hit close to home for me as I am from western NY and have passed that courthouse in Buffalo many times.

He makes a very good point about these GMO foods in the film. I would be interested to know if any of the organic foods they tested were not organic.

 I just watched a very good documentary you can find here on youtube about GMO food. Just search for Food Inc..

[vf2005]

For goodness sakes, how stupid can government get in the US? I suppose it was consistent with the mental agility of the president (little 'p') at the time; it appears stupidity also flows down the line of authority. How many tax $s were spent on this case?

[clidoss]

he was a very strong man !!! he had the principles and he carry out his wife principles too .well when it comes to GMO foods has many side effects as well as Autism ! do u wanna really have your children have this side effects WELL BIG NO!!!

[hs4265]

why can't he now go after the govt for the pain and suffering they caused him. How dare they!!

[eyespeakbrasil]

Scary, evil, insane - what a story.

[NoWitnessesNoRegrets]

I think it was Red that said "Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane"

but he said it in that hypnotising voice.

[MrWalterwaine]

Can't find an app checkpoints dude !!

[badattitude77769]

"They" tried to set me up also, two gay undercover guys leaned over their balcony:

You got the drugs? They were humorous about it tho, at that time, I did not know I was hauling drugs for the gangs and the government interstate.

[badattitude77769]

@TheMrsAmanda Food Inc was awesome.

[badattitude77769]

@billy1212ist Martin Bormann, Hitlers right hand man, invested $750,000,000 into pharmaceutical and chemical companies. Lovely.

[badattitude77769]

It is okay for the government to poison innocent people with anthrax, aids, case in point: bayer africa, sarin gas, vx nerve agents, mustard gas, what a crock!