BLACK GOLD refers to coffee, the second most sought of, consumed and traded commodity in the world.  But the low price of the coffee beans does not reflect the nature of the commodity as much as oil does. 

Like so many recent documentaries such as WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?  and AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, where it is so easy for the filmmakers to dump the blame on a single group or groups of people to rally support for their good course, BLACK GOLD falls into the same trap.  BLACK GOLD spends a majority of its length showcasing the hustle and bustle in commodity trading rooms, interviews with the often ignorant coffee farmers (often praying for a coffee price rise) and tracking the complaining Ethiopian coop founder, Tadesse Meskela, a man dedicated to raising the price of the coffee bean.  The film becomes educational when possible solutions are put forth – such as the formation of the cooperative or the founder’s trip to London.  One cannot blame the directors for trying to sensationalize certain segments of the film – like the interview with the Meskela’s wife – for the film would otherwise lose its entertainment value.  As such, BLACK GOLD succeeds in that it provides sufficient information of the problem while running a world tour through Africa, London and America.

One of the more moving scenes shows Meskela in a London supermarket looking across all the shelves revealing dozens of different makes of coffee from the world over.  The store is neither packed and only a few shoppers have coffee in their grocery cart.  Though Meskela finally finds his Ethiopian coffee tucked away on a second shelf, one can understand the frustration of the man and of coffee farmers the world over.  The Francis’ effectively put the perspective on goals of people on the different side of the coffee industry.  In the U.S., the manager of a local Starbucks coffee store is proud that she has been selected as district manager of the month. On the other side of the continent, the coffee makers aim to make enough to provide clean water, nutritious food and education for the children.

It is interesting to note that oil and coffee, the two most important commodities are on the highest and lowest ends of the price scale.  A middle ground is needed for both, but the economic forces of supply and demand dictate the price.  Directors Nick and Marc Francis fail to mention this important fact, though the mention and use of the Ethiopian cooperative partly solves the problem.  BLACK GOLD is not a film with a lot of entertainment potential but it achieves its aim of educating the public about the dilemma of coffee growers.