ROKUMENTTI: The Forecaster (2014)

Marcus Vetter, Karin Steinberger:

The Forecaster (Germany, USA, 2014)

100 min. • English

No age limit

Theme: Reality is not real

Martin Armstrong is a bit of a financial wizard, and an odd one at that. He is self-taught, and developed a computer programme in the 1980s that uses the mathematical constant Pi together with the cycles of history to analyse the events in world economy. With his programme, Armstrong predicts the ups and downs of business cycles, wars, and political events, such as Black Monday in 1987. He was also able to predict the Russian financial crisis to the date in 1998.

It’s probably to be expected that Armstrong’s eerily accurate predictions have not only gained respect, but also terrified people. In the 1990s FBI accused him of participating in a pyramid scam, and imprisoned the innocent Armstrong for several years. It has been claimed that the US government wanted to silence the financial meteorologist in order to keep their own questionable business endeavours hidden.

The Forecaster looks at the entire career of this strong-willed business expert, dissects his theories, and once again lifts the curtain that hides the immorality of the American economic system. The plain old tin foil hat may not be enough for watching this film; the Rokumentti crew recommends full-body armour! The documentary also asks some valid questions: How could the Armstrong method be used to avoid future crises? Could this programme prevent new tyrants from getting into power? And do we have any say in world events?