Bananas!*

Overview

Bananas!* is a Swedish documentary film directed by Fredrik Gertten and released in 2009. Running 87 minutes and presented in English, it follows a conflict between Dole Food Company and banana plantation workers in Nicaragua. At its center are workers’ allegations that exposure to the pesticide DBCP caused sterility.

The film connects agriculture to questions of workplace harm and accountability. Its focus is a specific dispute: plantation workers’ claims about the effects of a pesticide, and the company they say should answer for them. The available description does not establish the claims as proven, so the issue is best understood as an allegation at the heart of the conflict.

For viewers interested in documentaries about agriculture, labor and corporate responsibility, Bananas!* offers a focused case rather than a broad survey of the food industry. Its 87-minute runtime gives the subject room to develop while keeping the film centered on the workers’ dispute with Dole.

Explore more Documentaries by Fredrik Gertten or browse Documentaries of the 2000s.

Key features

• Subject: A dispute involving banana plantation workers in Nicaragua, Dole Food Company and allegations connected to DBCP exposure.
• Director: Fredrik Gertten.
• Country: Sweden.
• Language: English.
• Runtime: 87 minutes.
• Genre: Documentary film.

Who it's for

This film may suit viewers looking for documentaries on agriculture and labor disputes, as well as teachers and students considering how allegations of workplace harm can become a conflict involving workers and a major food company. It can also appeal to documentary fans interested in a film built around one defined case rather than a general account of farming.

Pros and cons

Pros

• It takes up a concrete agricultural labor dispute and identifies the parties and pesticide at its center.
• Its 87-minute runtime offers a feature-length treatment of the subject.
• Its English-language presentation may be accessible to English-speaking viewers.

Considerations

• The subject is specific: the film centers on the dispute between Dole and workers in Nicaragua, not agriculture as a whole.
• The summary describes sterility as an allegation, so viewers should not treat that claim as established fact based on the description alone.

Alternatives

For another documentary by Fredrik Gertten, consider Breaking Social. Other options in the directory include Vägen tillbaka - Blådårar 2 and Pimps Up, Ho's Down.

Verdict

Bananas!* is a clearly defined choice for viewers interested in the intersection of agriculture, workers’ claims and corporate accountability. Its focus on a dispute over alleged DBCP-related sterility in Nicaragua makes it relevant for classroom discussion and for documentary fans seeking a labor-centered subject. The available facts establish the film’s premise, director, setting, language and length; they do not describe its conclusions or filmmaking approach. Viewers can approach it as a feature-length account of a specific conflict without assuming more than that premise supports.