The Shock Doctrine: Synopsis

Directed by award-winning filmmakers, Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, THE SHOCK DOCTRINE is a feature documentary based on Naomi Klein's bestselling book of the same name. THE SHOCK DOCTRINE is a gripping and incisive deconstruction of how America’s “free market” policies have come to dominate the world: through the exploitation of disaster-shocked people and countries. THE SHOCK DOCTRINE radically challenges the myth that the global free market triumphed on the wings of democracy.

Both the film and the book argue that governments of the world overexploit natural disasters, economic crises and wars with the very aim of pushing through radical free market policies. Naomi Klein calls this “disaster capitalism.”

Political leaders have turned to brutality and repression in order to crush protests against their own agendas of privatization, deregulation and tax cuts. The consequence is often catastrophic for ordinary people and hugely beneficial to big corporations.