The Golden Rule is a hard-hitting documentary by Diane Mellen and Stacey Stone, narrated by Ed Asner, which explores the effects of various environmental incidents in America. Beginning with the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and the nuclear meltdown that occurred on the site in 1959, the documentary revels how much of the disaster was covered up. What is even more shocking is the continued refusal to take responsibility for the site, which remains abandoned and contaminated to this day. The site was used for testing liquid-propellant rocket engines for the United States space programme between 1949 and 2006, as well as testing and developing nuclear reactors from 1952 and 1980. This inevitably had an impact on the surrounding environment but, despite the fact there are residential areas within 5 miles of the site, calls to have the site properly cleaned up have largely been ignored.
The documentary also deals with some very disturbing figures detailing the high percentage of cancers that occur in the area. There are many heart-breaking interviews with people who live in the Simi Valley area, including the parents of children suffering with cancer. The efforts to uncover the truth about the site and urge something to be done about the contamination have been very community driven, and this is something the documentary captures well. The interviews are well edited and cover a broad spectrum of experiences, including community members, former workers and scientists.
The documentary details other events that have been similarly brushed over, including the Flint Water Crisis. This crisis began in 2014 when the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan, became contaminated with lead. This prompted a stream of charges and prosecutions, including ones for tampering with evidence, misconduct in office and wilful neglect of duty. The extent to which officials go to cover up disasters is highlighted harshly by The Golden Rule, and also explicitly linked to money, power and corruption.
A particularly striking moment of investigative work is embodied by the calls that were made to real estate agents selling properties within these zones of potential contamination. An agent selling a property near the Santa Susana Field Lab not only didn’t disclose the proximity of the once-nuclear testing site, but also pretended not to know what the site was, stating that he had never even heard of it. Regardless of whether a site is dangerous or not, surely the prospective buyer has the right to know the facts?
The music of the film is another highlight, boasting a whiplash switch from Vivaldi to hip hop. The opening song, ‘Outta’, was created by hip hop artist Jimmy Gulzar and represents an international collaboration of musicians throughout Europe. Music was created individually by several artists during quarantine, mixed in Amsterdam and Italy, and then sent to the USA to be incorporated into the documentary by composer David Raiklen.
The Golden Rule draws attention to several specific sites in the United States, but also calls attention to the broader issue of profit over public safety and the refusal of large corporations to take responsibility for their actions. A well-informed and well-edited documentary with a pressing message at its core.
Watch the trailer below.