For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"The True Cost" is a documentary by Andrew Morgan which explores the whole network of clothe's production and consume, unlatching the concept of fast fashion and his implications. Approaching the social and envirement impacts, the film shows the true cost of the fashion consume in this age, including the physical and psiquic ills caused by the chlote's production in poor countries without labor laws, ground's contamination caused by the agriculture required for the sector's industry and the social problems related to the economic policies and globalized production chain. The great problem of this film is the attempt to investigate all the issues intrinsic of the fashion cost. When treating multiple questions, the documentary ends up becoming a shallow investigation, without deepening and solidity. This desorganization is allied to a lack of interactions with the viewer and boring interviews, besides not including important social actors of the fashion production.

This movie shows the direct impact people can have on people and the environment. It is terrifying that we are allowing such decay of the human body and environment at the expense of a t-shirt or pair of pants. The side effects of the factory works from living in the surrounding factory area's was eye-opening. I have heard about it and seen pictures, but knowing that this film was released just two years ago, very recently, is astounding. I think the film does a very good job of exploring the whole chain from top to bottom, from the VP of sustainability at H&M and Patagonia to the factory workers in India. I am amazed at some of the people trying to make a difference, but the need for support on a larger scale is what is needed and it will take time, but this documentary is very inspiring and progressive. A step in the right direction for healthier people and a healthier planet.

In this examination of the clothing industry, director Andrew Morgan says that he knew nothing about the industry before embarking on making the movie. Maybe he offers that fact in support of initial objectivity to justify presenting an accumulation of damning evidence showing objectionable conduct in all components of the industry.In 2013 the spotlight was placed on the apparel industry in the aftermath of the of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh where over 1000 workers died. The apparel industry was on the hot-seat after Rana Plaza and I wish there would have been discussion in this movie about how the brands using that building reacted to the event.A case is made that most of the evils of the industry are propagated by the desire to reduce the price point of all products, and this permeates all facets of the industry--all the way from cotton production, pesticide use, improper waste disposal, pollution of soil and rivers, factory conditions bordering on slave labor, and potential health issues. Cheap labor is seen as the driving force behind the fact that most all apparel manufacturing is now done in poorer countries. In 1950 over 95% of clothing sold in the United States was produced in the United States. Today that figure is 3%. It's hard to see how to break the vicious cycle of downward pressure on price--if a factory does not knuckle under to price demands, the companies blackmail them by saying that they will just go to a country that can meet their demands. Some of the industry executives in third world countries interviewed here say that having apparel factories in their country is a boon to them in that they offer some employment for people who would otherwise likely have no employment. The downside of capitalism is much on display here.Some statistics stood out for me: the average western consumer throws away 85 pounds of clothing a year (amounting to 11 million tons a year in the U.S.) and only about 10% of these are recycled. This means that much of this clothing winds up in mountains of waste that take years to biodegrade. And, yes, these mountains of waste mostly wind up in poorer countries. No mention is made of the environmental toll taken to ship clothes, both new and used, all over the world.Some relief from the downbeat tone is given by giving a nod to the few companies that are trying to buck the trend, like a Texas cotton farm producing organic cotton and some fair trade companies like People Tree. These small efforts offer the only optimism presented in the movie. Not all change needs to come from the industry, since consumers bear some responsibility. A more judicious approach to buying clothes is called for--the "wear once and toss" use is a part of the problem. Apparel consumption is up over 400% in the last couple of decades. Consumers are urged to cut back on their purchases and to recycle rather than toss. But, as evidence of how complicated it is to improve the situation, a cutback in consumer spending could ultimately make things worse by closing factories, resulting in more unemployed and more downward pressure on price.As long as consumers seek the lowest prices, and you can't blame them, this situation will continue until movies like this, and other educational efforts, provoke a consumer backlash against the main offenders. Another tipping point toward industry correction, beyond consumer awareness, could come when the collateral environmental damage reaches such crisis proportions that there is a citizen rebellion.Little mention is made of specific brands and their practices, perhaps for fear of legal actions. I wanted to know specifics. There were a couple of images of Levi's stores, implying guilt by association with the overarching negativity. I noticed that director Morgan was wearing a pair of Levi's. And Levi's was not operating out of Rana Plaza and I think they are more concerned about corporate responsibility than most brands. Knowing which brands are the best and which are the worst would at least provide some guidance for people to gravitate to the better brands. You would think that above all Nike would have been mentioned.It would be interesting to examine the true cost of almost any industry--the oil and gas industry is an obvious choice. Tracing the true cost of any manufactured good would be enlightening, like what it takes to manufacture a car, what it takes to support that car once it is on the road, and what happens when it has reached the end of its useful life. Or cell phones, or ... It's hard to leave this movie in a positive frame of mind.

Warning: This Movie Review Contains SpoilersThe True Cost Directed and Written By: Andrew MorganStars: Stella McCartney, Livia Firth, Vandana Shiva, Safia Minney, Richard Wolff. Orsola De Castro, Rick Ridgeway, Tim Kasser, Tansy Hoskins, John Hilary, Guido BreraAn accurate honest view that is sadly appalling. Did not know the pain and suffering is ongoing and to that extent. The news rarely covers this issue and it appears every now and then as if it is an accident that is unexpected not ignored.This movie is an eye-opener to a world that's so well hidden through wonderful advertising of glossy magazine and glamorous celebrities. It is so easy to turn a blind eye when it is not affecting us because we do not know we want to feel as if we are living the life regardless of what it does to anyone else.Had we known it was to that extent and people in the sourcing business and these big brands and advertising agencies truly may not know? This is heavy on the heart because all of what is said in the movie is true. For example, When Livia Firth Eco-fashion activist, stated about us the consumers being taken for a ride with this fast fashion and we spend the money thinking we're rich because we buy a lot but we are becoming poorer. We earn that money to get those things for people we don't like it's funny how silly we take money and clothes for granted.Seeing these people work under these harsh conditions and being beaten it is slavery because they have no other options and a lawsuit cannot be claimed because it is voluntary and these brands are not directly associated with these horrible factories.A Fair trade company, 'People Tree' is another alternative solution to purchase affordable, Eco- friendly fashion that had workers work from a proper 9-5 not 7 till God knows when all day everyday for about 2 cents an hour it is ridiculous. We cannot complain these people hustle and stay humble and try to be happy with nothing and some of us say we're depressed and have everything.This movie could have perhaps added more about brands that are involved in fair trade fashion and these unhealthy factories. Plus, telling us how to get involved in helping people in Bangladesh, Cambodia and China would have been sufficient. I love this movie's message about fashion with a conscious and that we should balance the divide because the people who make these clothes deserve better than this they must lead a life similar to ours; it is unfair.Justice must happen and a movement must take place more stronger than this so this movie is a beautiful step towards a more enlightened future. This movie shed light on a hidden issue that is brutal behind a beautiful business. A bitter reality of how someone in power can treat people in a vulgar manner. This movie's initiative is incredible. Its brutal honesty about the fashion industry is fully appreciated. Andrew Morgan should make more and more documentaries