Google and the world brain. Dir. Ben Lewis. Polar
Star Films, 2013. Film.
Google and the World Brain is a documentary about the Google
Book Project. As a dyslexic student, I am very interested in books using
alternative formats so the topic of this film interested me. Accessibility of
information has always been important to me. Last year, I wrote a paper about Aaron
Schartz, an Internet activist accused of breaking into MIT systems who
committed suicide at the age of 26 on the eve of his trial.
I grew up watching Ken Burns documentary films so I clearly
thought this would present all sides of the story. Instead what I found was a
very one-sided film that at times strays off track in efforts to condemn
Google. Actually, it was a good thing that I saw this at the theater and paid
for a ticket because if I had been watching on TV, I would have grabbed the
remote and flipped back and forth. While I respect their opinion, ninety
minutes of one side was too much. Rather than provoke shock, I found myself
alternating between boredom and anger.
This was clearly one case where I should have studied the
trailer a little better before attending the showing. The clues were there but
I didn’t realize how much work the viewing experience would become with so many
subtitles. In an effort to lend an international tone to the film, they jump the
globe for interviews in multiple languages.
In the end, I was happy about the questions that the film
raises. They did a great job introducing the idea of artificial intelligence
and information banks. I hope most viewers will consider the value of the project
along with the flaws.
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