NIU students and residents of DeKalb are taking a second look at Wal-Mart.

The controversial documentary “Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price,” a film by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films about the negative impact retail giant Wal-Mart has on its employers and the economy, was shown Monday in Swen Parson Hall.

The film was open to the public, and a large audience comprised of NIU students, law students and faculty was present.

According to the film, Wal-Mart encourages its employees to go on welfare because many of them cannot afford Wal-Mart health insurance, and those “everyday low prices” are “based on taxpayer subsidies.” The film shows that Wal-Mart benefits are so expensive, the company has more employees on Medicaid than any other company.

First-year law student Kurtis Szymanski came to the documentary to learn more about the issue.

“I wasn’t aware of most of the controversy,” Szymanski said. “I came to see this because I wanted to be aware of what the issues are.”

The film also explores the effect of Wal-Mart’s low employee wages on the economy, saying the company drives down retail wages $3 billion every year.

Wal-Mart is depicted in the documentary as an anti-union company, and the film highlights aspects of the largest civil rights class-action lawsuit in history, Dukes v. Wal-Mart. About 1.5 million women sued the corporation for discriminating against women in pay, promotions and job assignments.

Second-year law student David Armstrong did not want to see the film at all, but came because his class was required to.

“I don’t agree with the political perspective of the film,” Armstrong said. “I have a lot of friends who work at Wal-Mart and think that Wal-Mart is a good employer.”

Reactions to the film, which opened in theaters Nov. 4, have been strong throughout the country. Thousands of people across the nation are volunteering to host screenings of the film, and many more are protesting against Wal-Mart.

In DeKalb, two separate parties have registered on www.walmartmovie.com to host screenings of this film in November alone, and 29 other parties within 45 miles of DeKalb have signed on to screen the film this month.

For those who would like to view this film, screenings are posted on www.walmartmovie.com.