The True Cost
An urgent investigative documentary exposes the human and environmental consequences hidden behind the fashion industry's cheap clothing.
Overview
Uncover the hidden costs of fashion and the true price we pay for our clothes.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- urgent
- serious
- provocative
- thoughtful viewing
- environmental awareness night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a compelling and accessible exposé of fashion's labor and environmental costs, while finding its advocacy occasionally one-sided.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film connects inexpensive clothing to factory labor, environmental degradation, waste, and consumer responsibility.
Interviews and reporting examine globalization, corporate production, consumerism, and the economics of declining clothing prices.
The film assembles perspectives from figures including Vandana Shiva, Stella McCartney, Richard Wolff, and textile workers to build its case.
Factory floors, worker conditions, clothing production, and landfill waste provide recurring visual evidence for the film's argument.
Films like The True Cost, and why
Manufactured Landscapes
investigative documentary examining globalization, labor exploitation, and the hidden costs of consumer culture
The Corporation
socially engaged documentary critique of corporate power, environmental damage, and economic inequality
Food, Inc.
environmental and labor-focused documentary using testimony and systemic analysis to challenge everyday consumption
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrew Morgan
- Release Date
- 2015-05-29
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (243)
Cast
- Vandana Shiva
- Stella McCartney
- Stephen Colbert
- John Oliver
- Richard Wolff
- Mark Crispin Miller
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- OVID
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The True Cost about?
- An urgent investigative documentary exposes the human and environmental consequences hidden behind the fashion industry's cheap clothing.
- What is The True Cost like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The True Cost as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The True Cost violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The True Cost.
- What did critics think of The True Cost?
- Critics broadly regard it as a compelling and accessible exposé of fashion's labor and environmental costs, while finding its advocacy occasionally one-sided.
- Which films are like The True Cost?
- Films with a similar feel include Manufactured Landscapes, The Corporation, and Food, Inc..
- How long is The True Cost?
- The True Cost runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch The True Cost?
- In United States, The True Cost streams on OVID.
