A cure for Mall-Wart & other cinematic prescriptions

It never ceases to amaze this correspondent how many people who should know better still shop at Wal-Mart, the retail behemoth that is relentlessly gobbling up America's landscapes along with its Mom-and-Pop stores. Oh, they don't much like to admit it, these erstwhile counterculture types; they get all squirmy when one asks them, and come up with excuses like "because it's the only store in the area" or "because it's cheaper."

But there's got to be a way to survive, even on a tight budget, without feeding the beast. In fact, I know there is, from personal experience: Somehow I've managed to make it into my 50s without ever having spent a penny at a Wal-Mart (or at a McDonald's, for that matter). That doesn't make me any sort of ascetic saint, either. All one need do is rule them out as options. Make a mental commitment to the concept that "These creeps don't deserve my hard-earned money - any of it." There really are alternatives out there, even in small towns and rural areas; you just have to put your mind to it and you'll find them.

Two filmmakers decided to do just that and record their experiences. The result is an 80-minute documentary that follows the pair on a 13,000-mile backroad trip through 32 states in search of Independent America. What the wandering wise consumers discover is a growing discontent across the country with the homogenization of retail, along with the people's desire to shore up their own local communities in the face of globalization, terrorism and corporate scandals. The filmmakers interview economists, activists, political leaders, union members, entrepreneurs and just plain regular concerned Americans; they also have what the press tends to describe euphemistically as a "frank exchange of views" with a top Wal-Mart executive. The verdict of all this research: You can still put your money where your mouth is.

And you can start this very weekend, without spending a penny, by viewing this film: Independent America screens at noon on Saturday, March 11 at Upstate Films with no charge, thanks to the sponsorship of Sustainable Hudson Valley. It kicks off a series of short runs of "political documentaries that challenge the status quo" at the Rhinebeck repertory cinema, collectively titled Swimming against the Tide.