Film Review: Talking Money (2018)

— Film Review
FFD 2018
Review Film: Talking Money (2018)

This film begins with an opening quote from Karl Marx (1847), “Money is not a thing, it is a social relation.” It stress out the fact that in many parts of the world, money creates a similar relation in all aspects of life. Rather than incurring happiness promised by the capitalist, money has caused various difficulties instead. Talking Money: Rendezvous at the Bank (2018) is a visualisation of faces painted with worries of their financial states. These anxious people act as if they were trapped in an invisible net, captured in an intimate conversation on consultation desk, between a customer and varied bank consultant from traditional to modern, each on eight different countries. These conversations then framed by Sebastian Winkels as a stage where negotiation is utilized to achieve each one’s desired benefit.

Fifteen customers each with distinct social backgrounds spitting their different discomforts and problems out to each consultant, again with different languages. Still, their problems are unquestionably, money. For example, is the most classic money-related problem experienced by Julia Herrera, a Lemon Seller in Bolivia who wants to submit a capital loan, but does not meet the requirement set by Cooperativa Hospicio LTDA, Bolivia. Up to another problem with more taste of metropolitan, experienced by Christina Schumacher in Switzerland. Christina lives with her partner and their three children, without any legal marriage. Despite not having any serious financial issue, she still jump onto starting an investment on Alternative Bank Schweiz, Switzerland, upon her concern of their financial security in upcoming future.

These two stories pictured the reality of our lives this past century. Putting it simply, there are two ways of handling money; loan for people who feels they own less, or investment for those who feels they own more. Both carry the same mission, the desire of prosperity for now and then. Every dialogue tries to highlight that the stops made at the bank, telling the professionals about their discomforts and needs, are the right steps to get a solution over all financial concerns. Although sometimes it has to pass through a series of negotiation that in the end does not end well.

For us human, money is no longer just a medium of exchange, but rather is a symbol representing power, both equality and inequality, up to becoming a symbol of responsibility. Money has thrived far greater than itself. Not until the end of the story we finally realized; money has the power to create an extraordinary relation with human. Money has the ability to burn down the wall that stands between private and public matters. In the end people are no longer reluctant to share their private financial problems with a stranger they barely know, like the relation formed between a customer and bank consultant in this film. Therefore, whom is ideal for us to share our private financial state to? Talking Money: Rendezvous at the Bank  depicted a different perspective; share it with a professional, not with those who are close to us.

 

 

Written by Christen Stephanie

Translated by Dian Pitaloka