Percy Schmeiser

(On Cablet TV, August 2021) The story of Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser is the stuff of intellectual property precedent — cross-pollinization between his seeds and those of Monsanto led to a lawsuit from Monsanto alleging intellectual property theft, a case that went to the Canadian Supreme Court and resulted in a mixed decision. Percy is a heavy dramatization of the entire multi-year saga, featuring Christopher Walken as a humble down-to-earth farmer who steps into a world of seed activism, intellectual property, arcane precedent-setting legal rulings and becomes the symbol of agricultural malaise against megacorporations. It wears its messaging on its sleeve — by mid-film, we’re asked to consider issues with ramifications going well beyond a simple farmer and his seeds. It also shoots in very many directions, which is not always all that effective. While I’m on-board in questioning the idea of patenting nature, I’m not necessarily as anti-GMO as the filmmakers and their characters so firmly want us to be as a package deal with the other issues. (There’s a counter-argument about feeding increased populations, barely mentioned in the film, that isn’t truly explored.)  Percy isn’t as heavy-handed as it could have been: its depiction of anti-GMO crusaders taking on Percy’s case is suitably dubious, clearly highlighting the trade-offs in accepting their support. Walken remains a rock throughout their entire film, although it’s important to note that the character he’s meant to portray is almost a fictional creation. The film doesn’t even acknowledge the real Percy’s long career as a provincial politician — not exactly a salt-of-the-earth type unaware of the world. Still, the portrait can be interesting, and the film does make its way to a suitably nuanced conclusion.