Generation Wealth

Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. Simultaneously photographic journey, memoir, and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism and greed.

Through riveting first-person interviews, Greenfield’s journey starts in Los Angeles and spreads across America  and beyond, as she documents how we export the values of materialism, celebrity culture, and social status to every corner of the globe. We embark on this journey with Greenfield as she travels the world – from Los Angeles to Moscow, Dubai to China –  bearing witness to the global boom-and–bust economy and documenting its complicated consequences.

We hear the stories of students, single parents, and families overwhelmed by crushing debt, yet determined to purchase luxury houses, cars, and clothing. We visit the homes and observe the rituals of the international elite—from Bel-Air to Monaco, Russia to China. We gain intimate access into the lives of those that rose to extraordinary wealth and then lost “big” during the global economic crash of 2008. And we encounter the A-list celebrities we follow on reality TV and social media, the same influencers who shape our consumer desires and sense of self.

Provoking serious reflection, “Generation Wealth” is not about the rich, but about the desire to be wealthy, at any cost.

“Greenfield is on to something in this unexpectedly personal documentary of the same name — she makes a compelling argument for a society on the brink of precipitous decline”

- VARITY FILM