How Long Is “Big Mac Small World”?

Big Mac Small World is a Swiss documentary about six people around the globe whose lives are linked through their work for the fast-food giant McDonald's. Jenny is a hamburger slinger in Switzerland who doubles as a chicken farmer; William is a born-again Christian seeking salvation under the Golden Arches; Franz is a South African caught up in a conflict between rural clan life and urban fast-food existence; Mao is a Chinese nationalist who sees McDonald's as the start of a bold new Asian era; Connie is a Las Vegas woman determined to build a family on low wages; and Jarmo is a Laplander pursued by McDonald's all the way to the Arctic Circle. With funny and profound moments, Big Mac Small World shows how individuality and local traditions are snuffed out by the expansion of megacorporations, often with the smiling collaboration of those with the most to lose. It may not be a film the McDonald's corporation would like you to see, but it is fair in the delivery of its ultimate message: that the triumph of big business is a two-way street.