Idaho Mountain Express Reviews Leslie Manookian's The Greater Good Documentary
Pondering ‘The Greater Good’
Local filmmaker Leslie Manookian explores the highly controversial vaccine safety issue
Read the full story at Idaho Mountain Express.
In 2001, Ketchum-raised Leslie Manookian was working in finance in London when she had a conversation that would change the course of her life. A man casually mentioned that vaccines could cause harm. Manookian's initial disbelief in this statement started her down a path that will cross the Wood River Valley this Sunday when the documentary she wrote and produced, "The Greater Good," is screened as part of the inaugural Sun Valley Film Festival.
"The Greater Good" is a character-driven documentary that delves into the thorny issue of childhood immunizations. It presents advocates from both sides of the debate. On one side are parent-activists who believe their children have been injured by vaccine side effects, as well as doctors and scientists who have concerns about vaccine safety and are calling for more research. On the other side are doctors and public health officials who believe that vaccines are necessary and that the negative side effects are rare.
The documentary is the fulfillment of a long and arduous journey for Manookian, who is once again a Ketchum resident. She enlisted the help of two fellow Wood River Valley residents, director/producer Chris Pilaro and director/producer Kendall Nelson, to bring her vision to life.
I raised my daughter without any Vaccinations and she was the healthiest one in her group and she grew up with a family that not only were vaccinated but they were constantly on antibiotics and as a result , were sick often. Although she contracted whooping cough at a young age she was able to beat it because her immune system was so so strong she knocked it out in 3 days when antibiotics take 7 to 10 days and compromise your healthy blood for months to come and furthermore they wreak havoc on your colon and your digestive system.
Getting back to the subject of Vaccines A) The system is antiquated and needs to be updated to the modern medicine of today B ) There is a direct connection to Cancer , Autism and other debilitating diseases C ) If i knew what i was putting in my body then knowing what I know today I would have never done it and I am proud of the fact that I didn't follow a practice they started in the 40s and 50s and have done little if any updating since and i brought my daughter up without poisoning her in to a system that is so antiquated and flawed that the reason you can't sue these Pharmaceutical companies is because the government wouldn't want to admit how big of a mistake this really is.
Your Health is your Greatest Wealth........ Self Care is Health Care
Posted by: Joseph Miron Burkett | March 18, 2012 at 03:04 PM
Anyone thinking the controversy over vaccine safety is just going away, is blind to what's happening in the real world. "The Greater Good" is a professional presentation. It gives us experts on both sides. It shows us heartbreaking stories of injury that raise serious questions. Over ten years ago, when I started
investigating this issue things were nothing like they are today. The basic message was: "Some parents believe vaccines can cause autism but science has disproven that claim." TODAY, large organizations, more and more experts,
and countless news shows are talking about this.
Here Claire Dwoskin from the National Vaccine Information Center and Leslie Manookian, producer of "The Greater Good," talk about vaccine safety claims with NY talk show host Thom Hartmann on Nov. 21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38qPvdFit_U&feature=channel_video_title
They discussed the poor design of the research used as proof that vaccines are safe.
And here is four minutes of "The Greater Good" published on Mar 12, 2012. For the ordinary parent out there who has no interest in self-protection and is just looking for answers, this is the most frightening thing imaginable.
http://current.com/specials/greater-good/93704128_the-greater-good-did-vaccinations-give-jordan-autism.htm
As more and more of the public see this film, doctors will be facing patients who simply aren't willing take the risk.
"The Greater Good" is the best thing that could possibly have happened to give us a national voice.
Anne Dachel, Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | March 18, 2012 at 10:04 AM
@Jan:
http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/screenings
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | March 18, 2012 at 04:09 AM
does anyone know if there is a webiste to see where and when this will be shown throughout the US?
Posted by: Jan | March 17, 2012 at 05:36 PM
I'll bet if docs start getting sued for giving several vaccines at the same time to children who are currently ill, they'll be more cautious. Why are we only picking on the vaccine manufacturers, when docs and nurses have the final say on when a child is healthy enough to get the vaccine?
Posted by: Heidi N | March 17, 2012 at 05:36 PM
What we really need to do is get lawyers to prove without a shadow of a doubt, and it should be easy to do, that the Supreme Court can not keep us from suing vaccine manufacturers. Congress also made this a law, so we need to let our Congressmen know that we want the law changed. There is no other solution, and the reason being is because there has to be accountability, and any other system would still rely on personal integrity. The world only runs on integrity because we are held accountable when we don't.
We can get them to take out the mercury, but then what? We will still have problems. We need good science, and people will always find a way to beat the system. Lawsuits have been the way to influence the science world to be cautious. Yet, they still get fined billions of dollars by governmental agencies for their misdeeds. So, we the people need to be able to speak up for ourselves. At least let the people have a right to make their own case and get compensation where compensation is due. It's the only thing that will influence vaccine manufacturers to make the safest product possible.
Posted by: Heidi N | March 17, 2012 at 05:31 PM
Laziness and greed. When you say stuff like, "That's just the way it is," rather than looking at the problem to see what possible solutions can be had, than it's what is referred to as laziness and greed. Frankly, with no one to make us work, pay taxes, etc., just how many of us would? It's downright illogical and unrealistic to expect to get a safe, quality product when there is no accountability. Until the people somehow get their Constitutional right back to sue the vaccine manufacturers, there will be no changes. As I said, it's downright illogical to expect so.
Posted by: Heidi N | March 17, 2012 at 05:22 PM
Well written review.
Unlike some of the negative reviews I have read it is clear that the author actually watched the entire film. The creators did a great job giving voice to all sides of the debate. This film maker asks the questions all American parents are asking themselves. To ask questions regarding vaccine safety is not anti- vaccine, but reflective of our values as a society.
Posted by: Katie Wright | March 17, 2012 at 01:04 PM
I was asking for this and it has arrived! When and where I wonder can we in the UK see this film?
Posted by: Patricia | March 17, 2012 at 05:55 AM