Oeconomia

A clearly narrated and precise view into the innermost workings of the capitalist system. Director Carmen Losmann sets out to understand why over the past decades, in parallel with economic growth, debt has increased, and the gap between rich and poor has grown. Her attempts to make contact with those in the financial sector are incorporated into the film.

Some telephone conversations had to be reenacted because those involved later decided that they preferred to remain anonymous or didn’t want to cooperate. For reasons of privacy or secrecy, other financial service providers simulate meetings or a conversation with a customer about a mortgage.

However, several significant insiders, such as the chief economist of the European Central Bank, do speak to Losmann, although they struggle to answer questions such as “Where does profit come from?” and “How is money created?” Losmann summarizes the essence in highly simplified diagrams. We see for example that growth depends on loans, but loans are only granted if growth is expected. The obvious question is whether this system is sustainable.