Live and Let Live (2013) User Reviews

If you care about your family's health, watch. If you love your dog or cat, watch.

[Ebertville · 10/10 · 28 July 2016]

This is the only documentary I've seen that's on par with the quality of Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives. It's perfectly executed and covers all of the messages that are essential to the vegan movement. What's more, it is by far the most heartfelt film on these subjects, and never loses track of the core arguments at any point throughout.

Not only is the vegan message delivered perfectly, but modern nutritional science is also well treated. If you took nothing else away from Live and Let Live, other than an awareness of the consequences of how what you eat affects you, that would be an achievement in itself.

If you want to make a fundamental change to the world that can begin this very instant, watch.

another way to a lifestyle that is compassionate towards animals and the environment

[Hayduke555 · 10/10 · 10 September 2023]

Over 20 renowned individuals discuss their reasons for choosing to abstain from consuming and purchasing animal products. While the documentary primarily focuses on ethical motivations for veganism, it also touches on health reasons. It highlights the international non-profit Animal Equality and the practice of so-called open rescues. There is a degree of one-sidedness (although, for example, a butcher is also featured), but personally, I don't find the absence of discussions about animal proteins lacking at all when I aim to learn about veganism and animal welfare. This documentary ranks among the best on the subject and should not be so overlooked. It notably avoids depicting graphic scenes from slaughterhouses and large-scale farms, making it suitable for a wide audience.

Well done documentary but a bit one-sided

[cineastFGD · 5/10 · 9 December 2017]

This is a fine and well-done documentary, with a broad and comprehensive scope, and very watchable.

What I didn't like was the one-sidedness of the message, I would have liked a more balanced picture and some of the interviewees were rather extreme in their positions which could have been nicely counterbalanced by some more balanced viewpoints. As this was not done by the makers, the whole study gets a slight propagandist touch, which is why this documentary only scores 5 stars in my view. Also, too much time is spent on the ethical issues of veganism. Given that the health and environmental benefits of this diet outweigh the ethical benefits by far, it is a pity the makers chose not to emphasize these aspects more. As such, veganism still is presented as this thing only those 'freaks' are doing, which is a shame given the importance of veganism to combat climate change.

Also, if I hear people talk about 'Specism' and that killing and keeping animals for food production is so deeply unethical, I cannot help to wonder why these people do not see the flaw in their logic. Eating an onion also destroys another life, isn't it equally ignorant and 'Specism' to assume that killing the onion is OK, whilst killing the cow is not, just because the latter has two dark, big eyes that simply are easier to relate to? And how can vegan people talk about animal cruelty but keep a dog that is fed dog food? Where do they think their dog's food comes from? It was during these interviews that the makers of the documentary really lost me as a viewer, and I already eat a 99% vegan diet, so how do they expect to convince non-vegans with such a message?

For us to live other lives have to perish, whether they are plants or animals, and I really fail to see the distinction between the two. A life is a life and the moment I choose to consume it or a part of it, I implicitly decide that I am more important than this life. Hence, we'd better develop a sense of gratitude for our food, irrespective of the source, and really value every bite of it, instead of using the same flawed logic again by separating life into 'consumable' species and 'non-consumable' species.

I'm afraid that by the way, the makers chose to present the subject they scared more people away than they attracted to this diet, and given the environmental and health benefits of plant-based diets, this really is a shame and a missed opportunity.