Although the topics of finance, business and economics seem complicated
for most people, knowing a little of this world can be something more
entertaining and interesting if you manage to have a good plot in a movie or
a documentary. In general, movies that show the financial world usually
expose more the morbid side of it through the excesses of its great
characters, the greed developed among investment fund managers and
their great scams.
In this article, I decided to start with a series of recommendations that not
only expose in a crude way, the dirty laundry, but also show the genius that
exists within the protagonists of the stories and how the power game is
involved.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2014)

It is the most popular option and in a way, the most eloquent for the
exhibition of excesses in the life of Jordan Belfort, a former stockbroker of
the 80s who was characterized by defrauding thousands of clients, making
them invest in stocks of low quality or virtually nonexistent companies.
While the film is based more on exalting Belfort’s ability as a sales genius
and his way to reach the highest heights a financial advisor aspires to, it
also showcases the true impetus of only generating personal profits
through the secondary characters regardless of anything else.

The Big Short (2015)

Frankly, this is my favorite film on the list: it is a symbiosis that perfectly
describes the reality of the recent financial world and the interaction
between investment banks, independent advisors, risk raters, investors and
clients. The script of this film is based on the mortgage crisis of 2007 to
2009 through three different stories in which, in their own style, the
protagonists of each story identify a potential risk in the stock market that
could translate into a severe financial crisis, which ended up happening and
affected millions of people in the world. The effort to simplify the financial
arguments with a high technicality in order to explain it to an audience with
limited knowledge of markets and how it has an impact on our society
deserves a great applause.

Billions (2016 – 2022)

It is a series that, like few others, bases its identity on financial market
issues with the authentic stamp of each character and how they begin to
get involved with each other until they reach the climax of a well-worn but
almost unaddressed situation: the path to power through money.
Theoretically, money can buy everything, although in this story the analogy
of having more money does not necessarily lead to having more power
becoming the key point; the plot consists of the development of the owner
of an investment fund that practically from nothing becomes the most
profitable fund compared to its competitors, which attracts the attention of
an American prosecutor who decides to undertake an investigation against
this fund and take it to the limit.

Rogue Trader (1999)

A very interesting story from the point of view of financial fraud and how
the ambition of a single character can be responsible for the bankruptcy of
a bank and even the loss of money of Queen Elizabeth herself. Based on
true events, it tells the story of a stockbroker who manages to quickly
position himself as director of operations in a London-based bank in which
he begins to grant great returns on the investments he made, however, the
reality was different: he made high-risk investments, hiding the real losses
generated by bad investment strategies, leading to the total bankruptcy of
the bank, with no way out.

Madoff: The Wall Street Monster (2022)

It is a documentary that tells the story of Bernie Madoff, a former banker,
considered the biggest swindler in the history of Wall Street who operated
his investments under a Ponzi effect or a pyramid scheme that consists of
granting attractive returns to savers derived from the entry of new savers,
reaching a point where savers lose their money. Madoff was considered a
true financial genius, who managed to deceive banks, insurance companies
and millionaires who trusted their investments in his company which, at
that time, had a great reputation on Wall Street.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

To conclude the recommendations, I clarify that this film has a much less
comprehensive financial dialogue than those mentioned above, based on
the story of a mathematician who establishes the principles of game
theory, which is one of the most essential technical fundamentals when
analyzing financial market risks and strategies in large corporations around
the world.
Contrary to the scripts that describe the excesses of stockbrokers or their
ability to seduce the world in exchange for satisfying personal greed, this is
a film with a more romantic story and shows the path of how science can
be involved in business.

For any additional topics related to economics,
markets and personal bonds, contact me directly at agarcia@hedeker.com
or on my social network LinkedIn as Alberto García Medina.