Netflix Pix: Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Our pick this week comes from relatively unknown director Chris Bell.  Unknown, perhaps, but still exceptionally talented at putting together a thorough, interesting, funny, touching documentary about the ups and downs of steroid abuse in the United States. 

Bell turns the spotlight on his family, particularly his brothers and himself, to give us a rare human insight into what the youth (mainly young men) of the United States are subjected to, simply by being members of this society.  It follows the choices he and his brothers make regarding the illegal drug, and the effects those choices have on their lives and the lives of their families. 

Much as Super Size Me pointed the finger at big corporations yet also at consumers, Bigger, Stronger, Faster approaches the issue from both sides of the fence, and Bell does an admirable job of trying to make his documentary as unbiased as possible.  Many of the most serious and morally interesting points are made simply by his examination of the facts regarding steroids, which for some may be eye-opening, to say the least.  His indictment of the United States (steroids are a by-product of our ideology) is timely and acute, and speaks to a host of issues, far beyond steroids, that are affected by our imperialistic American perception of the world. 

Bell's style is sharp and sparse, and while he doesn't provide all the answers, he certainly asks many of the right questions, not the least of which is: why are steroids illegal?  If you think that's an easy one to answer, give Chris Bell an hour and forty minutes of your time... he just might change your mind.

[If you haven't tried Netflix, find out what you're missing after the jump]