TITLE: Percy
WRITTEN BY: Garfield Lindsay Miller, Hilary Pryor
PRODUCED BY: (Scythia Films) FORMAT: Feature Film/1 hr 39 min.
GENRE: Legal/family drama
SETTING: Saskatchewan, Canada STORY: Consider WRITER: Consider LOGLINE After a Canadian canola farmer is sued by biotechnology giant Monsanto in 1998, he is sent into the spotlight, drawing worldwide attention, and pursuing an unlikely crusade against genetically modified crops. SUMMARY Based on a true story (from 1998). Within the first 11 minutes of this film, virtually the entire premise is set: Small-town Saskatchewan farmer, PERCY SCHMEISER, receives a letter in the mail accusing him of stealing agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto’s property via cross-contamination of the company’s genetically modified canola. Schmeiser, who lives close byto his son, PETE, and granddaughter, MISSY, is depicted as a family man rather than a criminal,fighting for traditional ways of farming. This is shown in the first few minutes of the film as Schmeiser, played by Christopher Walken, describes the process of re-seeding, a process that has been taught and passed down to him through generations of family. Percy and his wife, LOUISE SCHMEISER, are shocked by these accusations and begin to discuss seeking legal counsel. Enter the lawyer, JACKSON WEAVER, a determined and knowledgeable man who continuously pushes Percy to settle. Percy refuses and insists on taking it to court despite “barely being able to show face to take a driver’s license photo,” according to his wife. In court, the Monsanto council moves forward with the action for patent infringement. He claims that the Monsanto company owns a patent gene which “when incorporated into canola, renders intolerant to a powerful herbicide called Roundup” and presents evidence of the stolen property. After hearing about not having a chance against Monsanto during court, Percy is approached by a small and passionate woman named REBECCA outside, who claims that this is a precedentsetting case because it’s an opportunity to show that GM technology is bad for all farmers. Percy goes out of his way to avoid her and any publicity but can’t seem to escape her presence. At a diner, Rebecca joins the Schmeisers and suggests that they work together to raise money for the family to be able to pay the legal fees. Percy instantly rejects this, saying he’s “no poster boy.” Back at the farm, the lawyer also informs the couple of the severity of the case, the $105,000 at stake (all the revenue from the 1998 crop plus all of Monsanto’s legal fees), and how tests conducted on Schmeiser’s fields prove that everything he’s ever grown belongs to Monsanto. Weaver says that while he wouldn’t advise it, there may be grounds for an appeal. He also says that while he hates to bring it up in that moment, there is the matter of his fee as well. Percy assures him that he’ll see to his compensation. Down in Washington, DC, Rebecca and her team are watching the press surrounding Schmeiser. Her boss, ROGER, asks if he’s even appealing to which Rebecca says, “We don’t need him to win, Roger, we just need him to keep fighting. He’s 150K in the hole, and we can use that.
Imagine - this poor, naive, salt of the earth farmer publicly brought to ruin at the hands of the evil corporation.” Passionate Rebecca offers to meet with the couple at their home and receive no cut on her part. She brings to their attention a printout from Monsanto’s website that says that Percy knowingly planted and segregated their seeds. After hearing this, Schmeiser is enraged. Rebecca encourages them to appeal, saying she’ll help set up public speaking platforms for them to tell their story and raise support, awareness, and money for the cause. A curious Schmeiser begins to second guess his rejection of Rebecca’s help and drives his truck to go check out a Monsanto speaker event where he is targeted in the audience. When someone in the crowd yells out, “you ain’t nothing but a two-bit thief,” Percy asks, “who said that?” and the crowd responds, “the newspapers.” Upon returning home, Percy decides he’s going to do what it takes to appeal the case. What follows is a brief montage of Rebecca and him making public appearances and speeches all over the country. Shortly after, the Schmeisers begin receiving checks and letters of support from all over the world. Rebecca convinces Percy to make a trip to India, and after considering, he agrees. While in India, Percy learns a lot about small-town farming abroad and meets a plethora of people, including a village farmer who invites him to his home and shows him around. The two speak about their sons and the film transitions back to the US, where Percy and his son visit Louise in the hospital. News comes out that the appeal is denied. Percy’s son questions the lawyer and his abilities. Rebecca informs Percy that if he decides to appeal again, she cannot offer her support. Percy talks to his wife, saying that he wants to be done fighting, but Louise disagrees, arguing that what Monsanto is doing is wrong, and they should be stopped. Percy is interviewed on live television as his son and granddaughter watch. During the interview, he announces that he and his wife have decided to go to the Supreme Court. After this, he’s visited by Weaver, who attempts to resign as his lawyer, but Percy immediately rips his letter of resignation in half. A montage follows of various news broadcasts and Weaver, now hard at work. In court, Weaver argues that the seeds that contain the Monsanto gene came into his possession only through natural breeding. The court decision is released as a split 5 to 4, the judges ruling that the Schmeisers don’t owe Monsanto anything, but because there was an infringement upon Monsanto’s patent, the Schmeisers must give Monsanto all of their seeds. After Weaver delivers this bittersweet news to the couple, Rebecca stops by to tell Percy that he made a worldwide difference in farming by stopping GMO wheat. The film ends with the whole family together on the farm, and then a shot of Percy and his granddaughter as she rattles off her future plans to take over the farm. COMMENTS The clearly skilled filmmaker behind this feature paints Percy as a determined worker and pacifist, but also a man who won’t go down without a fight. He’s stubborn in both his judgments and decisions, both of which are heavily influenced by those opinions of his wife, Louise. There are many elements of family, such as scenes where Percy’s granddaughter helps out and takes an interest in continuing the farming tradition. The film even ends with her discussing her plans for when she takes over the farm. These elements are also present at the beginning of the film when Percy speaks to his granddaughter about his great grandma’s tradition of sewing seeds into her dress. The actors play their parts persuasively and truthfully, allowing the story to unravel in a natural manner. There are still skeptics out there who wonder whether or not Schmeiser knowingly planted the genetically modified seeds to profit off of them. In various videos and news outlets from 20
years ago online, his neighbors and scientists question the validity of his defense. While this skepticism was hinted at, Percy was especially depicted as innocent. The ending is well done, chyron facts that tie together this feel-good biopic are appropriately accompanied by Woody Gutherie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” along with an overhead shot of the farm. The music score is notably relevant throughout the entire film, screaming the word “farmer” with every strum of a banjo. Without too much fluff, the director tells a compelling and dramatic true story about a smalltown farmer’s world turned upside down by a legal scandal. The film goes to show that sometimes it’s better to ask for help, even if that means throwing yourself into the spotlight. Without the help and support of various people around the world, Schmeiser had a very minimal chance of making it out of this with anything left to his name. Due to the feel-good nature of the film, it would likely be of interest even to audiences who were not aware of the story previously. A powerful and inspiring story that can apply to many audiences, this film is a consider.