Banana Land: Blood, Bullets and Poison (2014)

Bananas are by far the most popular fruit in the United States, but consumers know little about the conditions in which they are produced. Banana Land provides a fascinating and surprising peek behind the curtain into an underworld marked by great turmoil and sacrifice. Delicious taste aside, the unanimous popularity of the banana lies in its low cost to the consumer; it's decidedly cheaper than other fruits in the supermarket such as apples or pears. Banana Land lays bare the ultimate result of these low prices in the form of cheap pesticides, abusive labor practices and comprised environmental standards. As illuminated in the film, the crisis in the banana industry harbors even more nefarious implications than those already cited. The banana business model began in 1899 with the formation of the United Fruit Company (UFC). The company monopolized the industry, attracting investments from wealthy and powerful players throughout the globe, which in turn led to the protections and support of lawmakers in Washington. In order to ensure that bananas would remain the lowest cost fruit on the market, the UFC partnered with repressive regimes throughout Central America. These regimes worked to stifle any objections from the industry's exploited workers, even in the form of massive bloodshed.