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 A film by Laure Delesalle

Synopsis: It has been said that it is an “abyss”. This is the first time in the history of the world economy that the American budget and trade deficit has been so big. Curiously, the United States, the world’s richest country, is the one that owes the most money to the rest of the world.

In the eyes of some economists, the US economic situation can be compared to an economic time bomb, the explosion of which cannot be predicted. For others, the dynamism generated by American economic growth and by the strength of the dollar counterbalances the damaging effects of these deficits. It is the economic relationship between the United States and China, based on the idea of “see who blinks first”, which is at the heart of the balance and the risks of the American system.

These issues have a direct impact on our lives as we are all dependent on the American economy. Are we really on the edge of a crisis?

The film is based on a journey across the US from east to west, meeting famous economists such as the Nobel Prize winner Josef Stiglitz, Ken Rogoff, Paul Krugman and Nouriel Roubini, and moving conversations with the inhabitants of the towns through which we travelled.

There is more inequality than ever before in the United States. However, the stock market is at its highest ever level, the Americans continue to consume thanks to credit, and growth continues. However, the majority of Americans are finding it harder to get by than 30 years ago. What are the underlying economic mechanisms causing these imbalances?

As a native American chief once said, “Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

A coproduction Crescendo films (France) and Iota production (Belgium)

In coproduction with ARTE France, RTBF, with the support of CNC.

video - 59 min - 16/9 - 2007