Blue Vinyl

2002
Director: Judith Helfand

This is a documentary about the hazards of chemicals found in vinyl and the carcinogens released in vinyl production. It's a good look at how prevalent vinyl is in our everyday lives, and how little we choose to give a good hard look at the potential hazards of the things we use. The story is told by the director, Judith Helfand, whose parents have recently replaced their rotting wood house with vinyl. We follow Judith's exploration in the vinyl-making process. Throughout the film, she tries to persuade her endearing parents to replace their vinyl with something more health and environmentally-friendly.

It's not THE most interesting documentary I've ever seen, but considering the topic is VINYL, Helfand does a pretty darned good job at being persuasive and informative, while still being fairly entertaining.

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