The income inequality gap between the haves and the have-nots has grown into an abyss. According to one recent study, in the United States the top 1% has captured about 95% of the income gains since the recession ended. In addition, 400 individuals last year possessed more than half of America's total wealth, the highest level recorded since the government began collecting relevant data a century ago.

Robert Reich, who now teaches economics at the University of California Berkeley, is the mover and shaker behind this well-done and enlightening documentary directed by Jacob Kornbluth about the economic crisis in the country — its causes and its devastating effects on the middle class. Reich was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration and is the author of many books including Aftershock. His intention is to take a look at the big picture behind the worst economic slump since the Great Depression.

The losers in this economy are middle-class Americans, many of whom grew up during the "great prosperity" of the 1940s through the 1970s where government invested in public education, labor unions were strong and effective, and those in high-income brackets paid substantial tax rates. Expecting more of the same, these men and women have been sorely disappointed.

Reich interviews a cross-cut of these discouraged workers. Some of them are unemployed and have not been able to find work. Wives have had to find menial jobs in order to supplement their husband's meager income. Others have lost their homes after borrowing too much money they could not pay back. Reich laments the plight of those who have next to nothing in their saving accounts.

With the help of illustrative charts and graphs, the former Secretary of Labor addresses a large lecture hall filled with undergrads taking his course on "Wealth & Poverty." Reich, who is five feet tall and suffers from the genetic disorder Fairbanks syndrome, recalls how he had to stand up for himself against bullies when he was young. Now he has taken on the mission of speaking out for the American worker. Other than Bill Moyers and a few journalists, there are not many who are passionate about ending the inequality nightmare.

One of the real surprises of this documentary is the comments on the income disparity made by Nick Hanauer, a pillow company CEO who earns 1000 times the average American. He is no villain but a sensible and articulate man who honestly shares his criticism of the way the country is going — especially in regard to the fallacious idea that the rich should be taxed less so they can give a push to job creation.

Reich challenges students to get involved in advocating pro-middle-class policies and speaking out against the powerful lobbies that have so much control over Congress. We commend Kornbluth and Reich for not once stepping on the minefields of cynicism and hopelessness in their examination of this ever-deepening crisis.