Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Lauren Greenfield has focused on the extremes of capitalism, linking body image, greed, narcissism, and sex. In ‘Generation Wealth’, the photographer asks why we want what we want. Piecing together interviews with previous subjects, she charts a journey of shifting values in Western society, identifying a compulsive need for more – whatever the cost.
What follows could be described as a series of cautionary tales. Greenfield clearly identifies herself within ‘Generation Wealth’ and feels empathy for her subjects. There’s Suzanne Murphy, a successful hedge fund executive, whose career aspirations almost cost her the ability to have a baby. Then there’s Cathy, a school bus driver who became homeless after expensive cosmetic surgery. She later explains her difficulty in helping her own daughter overcome body image struggles. These stories are unified by the question of how ‘Generation Wealth’ should look to raise their own children.
Greenfield also follows these themes through her own family. Her father, Sheldon Greenfield, was brought up by immigrant parents, later attending Harvard and qualifying in medicine. He had an upbringing characterised by frugality and discretion. Greenfield’s sons, on the other hand, are seen struggling with the burden of familial legacy. Like many teenagers, they are well accustomed to the forces of bling and celebrity.
Like any cautionary tale, Generation Wealth has a moral – money can’t buy love. Yet, this never feels fully substantiated.
First, it is clearly difficult to weave such a broad selection of personalities into a single film. The portrayals sometimes feel one-dimensional. While Greenfield is empathetic towards her subjects, some have a greater degree of moral culpability in their own downfall (for example, the FBI-wanted hedge fund manager Florian Homm). Others, for various reasons, don’t neatly fit the redemption narrative, and as such, the film reaches only loose conclusions.
Second, Greenfield’s focus on lived experiences means that economic and political arguments play a minor role. While the 2008 financial crash features briefly, other factors up to this point are summarised in a brief and reductive way. This reinforces the central idea that societal values and psychology have created ‘Generation Wealth.’ Instead of external forces controlling us, this suggests that we may shape our own destiny by connecting with our community. But some expert commentary might help to pull together the divergent testimonies, which provide an imprecise direction for the film.
Finally, Greenfield never quite brings together the experiences of her family and her interviewees in a satisfying way. Her family is a high-achieving product of social mobility. Although her children have mixed feelings about her ‘workaholism’, they are a seemingly happy family overall. This appears to present an alternate conclusion. Must we prioritise family and love over our achievements? Or is it possible to enjoy both?