''Corn'' is a 2004

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

- thriller starring Jena Malone about the dangers of

genetically modified food Genetically modified foods (GM foods), also known as genetically engineered foods (GE foods), or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using various methods of genetic engineering. G ...

Plot

Emily Rasmussen (Malone) drops out of college upon realizing that she is pregnant, and reluctantly returns to her stepfather's ( Don Harvey)

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

ranch to get her life together. She plans on keeping the baby, even though the father of the child, a politician, refuses to help her for fear of a scandal. Emily's mother died when she was young, and she has a very awkward relationship with her father. Upon her arrival, Emily notices that her father's sheep are acting rather strangely; they appear to be viciously fighting over a weed that is the byproduct of their neighbor's

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

. That neighbor began growing corn when provided with a newly generated seed that was meant to be immune to all

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...

s. The corn was altered genetically so it could grow with very little water so it could be used in otherwise barren places, such as parts of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, to feed starving people. After witnessing a lamb being born with only two legs, Emily decides to investigate this corn and its weed byproduct, and learns that it is an experiment in

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...

. After hearing about the death of the newborn baby of a friend who regularly ate lamb, Emily realizes she has to do something to put a stop to this. Her efforts will entail standing up to the big corporation that is testing the corn, her employers, and ultimately, her father.

External links

* 2004 films American independent films American thriller films 2004 thriller films 2004 drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2004 independent films English-language independent films English-language thriller films {{2000s-thriller-film-stub