The Ghosts in Our Machine

Filmmaker Liz Marshall's haunting exposé follows photographer Jo-Anne McArthur as she pursues her passion: recording the plight of animals exploited for human use. The horrors that factory farming imposes on chickens, hogs, and cows are being increasingly brought to public attention in books and documentaries, but McArthur also captures the sad, soulful faces of creatures raised for their fur or confined to zoos. After witnessing one covert operation, in which McArthur climbs a fence with Marshall's film crew in order to clandestinely document a huge rural mink farm in the dead of night, many viewers will find it hard to forget the cries of the captives in their tiny cages. “I have a lot of nightmares,” says McArthur, but her mission, as she sees it, keeps her from rescuing the subjects she photographs: “I'm not here to liberate, I'm here to document.” On the more positive side, we also see contented animals living peaceably in nature at a sanctuary where McArthur unwinds from the ordeals of her vocation. Presenting both the full-length film and a 60-minute abridged version, The Ghosts in Our Machine shines a disturbing spotlight on the inhumane treatment of animals, revealing sad situations that are often hidden from any sort of regulation or investigation. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)