Boeing's Profits Over People: New Doc Exposes Corporate Failure

Director Rory Kennedy's latest documentary, Freefall: A Reckoning For Boeing, delves into the corporate culture of Boeing and its prioritization of profits over safety. After releasing her previous film Downfall: The Case Against Boeing in 2022, which exposed the faulty 737 Max aircraft that crashed twice, Kennedy expected Boeing to shift focus back to safety. However, with the 737 Max returning to service and new headlines about airline maintenance issues, she felt compelled to revisit the story.

Kennedy's investigation led her to re-examine the death of John Barnett, a whistleblower featured in Downfall, who died under suspicious circumstances while deposing against Boeing. She had hours of recordings with Barnett, which she felt deserved to be told. The new film, Freefall, explores corporate failure and how it can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Kennedy's thesis for the new film is centered around corporate failure, rather than a specific airplane model like in Downfall. She aims to show that when companies prioritize profits over safety, they risk their very existence. The documentary features exclusive access to Barnett's deposition, where he discusses his findings on faulty oxygen masks and how Boeing pushed him to investigate further.

Kennedy chose not to focus on the true crime aspect of Barnett's death, instead focusing on the larger issue of corporate failure. She believes that when companies sacrifice their safety standards for profits, they ultimately harm themselves in the long run. The film highlights the consequences of prioritizing shareholder profits over safety and quality.