The Great American Lie

Oct 2, 2020

1h 28m

★ 5.0

Overview

Examines how a US value system built on the extreme masculine ideals of money, power and control has glorified individualism, institutionalized inequality, and undermined the ability of most Americans to achieve the American Dream.

Genres

Documentary

The Great American Lie Trailers

Cast

Himself

Nicholas Kristof

Herself

Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond

Herself

Libby Schaaf

This access-driven documentary chronicles the life of Unmukt Chand, an Indian-American cricketer once heralded as ‘the next big thing’ in Indian cricket. The film is an intimate exploration of universal themes like broken dreams, second chances, mental health, identity, and the immigrant experience—through the lens of Unmukt and his wife, Simran.

0.0

The American Question

Oct 29, 2024

An 8-year journey into divided America, The American Question examines the insidious roots of polarization and distrust through past the past and present, revealing how communities can restore trust in each other to unite our country.

7.2

God Grew Tired of Us

Dec 31, 2006

Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.

4.9

Man for a Day

Jul 19, 2012

Gender activist Diane Torr’s worldwide appearances and workshops are now legendary. For the past thirty years, the main focus of this performance artist’s work has been an exploration of the theoretical, artistic as well as the practical aspects of gender identity. Katarina Peters’ documentary observes a Diane Torr workshop in Berlin in which a group of open-minded women come together to discover the secrets of masculinity. What makes a man a man and a woman a woman? Precisely when and where is gender identity formatted? How much is nature and how much nurture? Each of Torr’s workshops represents an open-ended laboratory experiment in social behaviour in which the question is posed: is it possible to deliberately play out different roles and create a space in which to transgress both masculine and feminine characteristics?

7.2

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream

Jan 12, 2004

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream. But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge...

5.5

Do I Sound Gay?

Jul 10, 2015

What makes a voice “gay”? A breakup with his boyfriend sets journalist David Thorpe on a quest to unravel a linguistic mystery.

6.0

Harry Styles: The Finishing Touch

Jan 30, 2023

Hit after hit, pop-icon Harry Styles, once the centerpiece of the world's biggest boy bands has grown into someone who isn't afraid of self-expression, continuing to reject the traditional confines of masculinity.

10.0

Laissez-faire

Jan 30, 2015

A historical perspective to understand Neoliberalism and to understand why this ideology today so profoundly influences the choices of our governments and our lives.

6.8

Bigger Stronger Faster*

May 30, 2008

In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs? Director Christopher Bell explores America's win-at-all-cost culture by examining how his two brothers became members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream.

6.7

Earth and the American Dream

Oct 1, 1992

A beautiful and disturbing film recounts America’s story from the environment’s point of view. From the arrival of Columbus to the simple wilderness living of the 16th and 17th centuries, through the agrarian lifestyle of the 18th century, the changes from the Industrial Revolution, to the 20th century when most of the planet’s resources have been depleted — this film examines the North American landscape and all the wildlife destruction, deforestation, soil depletion and pollution that have been wrought to make the American Dream come true.

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10.0

Democracy Is ...

Jan 31, 2009

The film is a controversy on democracy. Is our society really democratic? Can everyone be part of it? Or is the act of being part in democracy dependent to the access on technology, progression or any resources of information, as philosophers like Paul Virilio or Jean Baudrillard already claimed?

0.0

The House that Love Built

Sep 18, 2025

In 1980s Brooklyn, a resilient family, evicted from public housing, refuses to succumb to homelessness or welfare. Instead, they construct their own home-one scrap of discarded wood at a time.

7.1

Steam of Life

Mar 26, 2010

Finnish men in sauna, speaking straight from the heart.

0.0

Jaripeo

Jan 25, 2026

Set against the vibrant spectacle of the jaripeo, a symbol of Mexican cowboy tradition and machismo, this story unveils a hidden world of queer desire and quiet rebellion. As glances and gestures disrupt the rigid norms of masculinity, the rodeo becomes a stage for our protagonists to navigate identity, community, and the search for belonging in an oppressively traditional space.

0.0

El Batería

Invalid Date

Cuban drummer Elvis García reflects on his journey from Havana to Miami, struggling to make his way in the American city as a professional musician.

0.0

Limbs of Sun

Jul 31, 2016

A journey into time, landscape and consciousness: The Southwestern United States in the black-and-white moving images and unsettling instrumental music. Entropy of the American dream.

10.0

Community Patrol

Feb 24, 2018

It’s been widely reported that Detroit is making a comeback, but long-term residents of Detroit’s mostly black neighborhoods aren’t seeing much benefit. Crime, lack of opportunity and infrastructure problems still persist. Community Patrol explores neighborhood self-policing through the eyes of Minister Malik Shabazz, a long-time Detroit activist and community organizer. Determined that more black men don’t end up in jail or killed, the minister confronts drug offenders directly rather than reporting them to the police.

The Great American Lie

Overview

Genres

The Great American Lie Trailers