Terminator Tomatoes

According to the handout included with Terminator Tomatoes--Suzanne Twining's cautionary stop-motion, puppet/clay animated tale of scientific agriculture run amok--"between 60% and 70% of food products on U.S. supermarket shelves contain genetically modified ingredients." Oh, brave new world, indeed. In this brief short, a small-time farmer buys genetically-modified tomato seeds from a company called Biochemtech, only to later harvest a bumper crop of woe: yes, the tomatoes are as big as baby watermelons, but they're also seedless, give the farmer's daughter a rash on her face, and create a virulent strain of super-pests. Of course, given the relatively new arrival of GMFs (genetically modified foods) on the menu, it's hard to know whether these horrific side effects are grounds for reasonable concern or wild overexaggerations (especially since ecological and biological bills sometimes don't come due for a few generations), but this thought-provoking fable should provide solid grist for the discussion mill. Recommended. Aud: E, I, J, P. (R. Pitman)