Last night Sicko opened in New York, at the Lincoln Square theater. We attended the 11pm showing, where Mr. Moore himself showed up and gave a little impromptu speech. It just so happens that he used to live in that neighborhood and this was his favorite theater, and he had viewed the previous showing and hung out to talk with us. He was enthusiastically received and thoroughly documented via cell phone camera (including mine, above) and delivered some witty remarks and heartfelt thanks for the support – and shared that he had just learned that this opening was one of the highest one-night sales EVER at this theater. Hm.

The movie was excellent and sobering - even for someone like me, who is already well aware of the paradigm shift that's so necessary to change the course we're on regarding health in this country.

Moore focused on the sad stories of a few "covered" patients, including volunteer workers from 9/11, and then turned the attention on healthcare in other countries, which is often abundant, highly focused on preventative measures, efficient, and most of all, free. The shot after shot of bewildered looks on behalf of citizens of canada, the uk, france and even cuba when asked how much they paid for this or that procedure, or how much effort it took to deal with their health was like a continual dagger to the heart, as we can all think of at least one person in our lives who is ill and struggling to figure what will be covered by insurance and how to afford the shortfall.

In contrast to his previous films, Moore didn't have to become an antagonistic nuisance to make his point - the status of our healthcare is so miserable all he needed to do was shed a light on it, show us what all our neighbors are doing, and the facts speak powerfully for themselves.

We desperately need a change in this country: a continual, singular business goal of "maximizing profits" is making us a sick culture in more ways than one. It's time we think about the long-term cost and introduce a bit more humanity into our business culture. And that starts with demands from the citizen/consumer. It starts with changing the laws so lobbying doesn't continue to buy our government. And then it becomes about reforming the privatized healthcare industry. If you know any movement or organization working toward these goals, please post your info here.

Til then - take your parents and go see Sicko.