source: Loan Wolves

This film had a slightly comedic tone, akin to "the Daily Show" investigative pieces, but still addressed serious aspects of the issue. The humor was great at times, amongst a topic that can be boring, but at the same time, it loses some of its power, in staying in such a comedic tone, on such a serious topic. So I think the doc "Fail State" is overall better on this topic, and much more powerful. It was definitely worth watching however, and it even has a "Who-dunnit" mystery within the narrative arc of the film, in trying to figure out who exactly...was responsible for the 1998 provision that made student debt impossible to discharge in bankrcupty. That made me want to keep watching, and the payoff was worth it. There are only about 2 moments that made me feel emotional in the film though, as it stayed to that comfortable, comedic tone, and could have been more powerful, if it delved deeper into how damaging student loans are to borrowers lives. The reveal to the "Who-dunnit", and one particularly distressed borrwers story, were those only moments of catharsis as a viewer, which is where this film struggles, on such a serious topic. Definitely entertaining, and enlightening though...and absolutey worth seeing for anyone effected by student loan debt, or generaly interested in the topic. 8/10.

source: Loan Wolves

This film had a slightly comedic tone, akin to "the Daily Show" investigative pieces, but still addressed serious aspects of the issue. The humor was great at times, amongst a topic that can be boring, but at the same time, it loses some of its power, in staying in such a comedic tone, on such a serious topic. So I think the doc "Fail State" is overall better on this topic, and much more powerful. It was definitely worth watching however, and it even has a "Who-dunnit" mystery within the narrative arc of the film, in trying to figure out who exactly...was responsible for the 1998 provision that made student debt impossible to discharge in bankrcupty. That made me want to keep watching, and the payoff was worth it. There are only about 2 moments that made me feel emotional in the film though, as it stayed to that comfortable, comedic tone, and could have been more powerful, if it delved deeper into how damaging student loans are to borrowers lives. The reveal to the "Who-dunnit", and one particularly distressed borrwers story, were those only moments of catharsis as a viewer, which is where this film struggles, on such a serious topic. Definitely entertaining, and enlightening though...and absolutey worth seeing for anyone effected by student loan debt, or generaly interested in the topic. 8/10.