The Cost of Growth

Mark, a former engineer from Detroit, holds up a photo of his factory, now repurposed as a warehouse for a logistics giant. His voice trembles not with anger, but with exhaustion. This documentary moves beyond cataloging the effects of economic progress to follow the individuals whose lives become collateral in the race for efficiency. From Iowa farmers losing land to monoculture expansion to Bangalore programmers burning out in a system of perpetual updates. Satellite imagery tracks forests consumed by urban sprawl, while interviews with executives reveal the cold logic behind decisions framed in reports as 'optimization'. The film weaves personal dramas with macroeconomic forces, questioning whether human wellbeing can be measured in GDP points and who ultimately settles the bill.