Director Richard Linklater’s impressive résumé includes masterpieces such as Dazed and Confused, Slacker, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and A Scanner Darkly. And now he has turned his keen eye, his trademark style, and his unique sense of humor to the sordid and often surreal mess that characterizes the fast-food industry. Under Linklater’s guidance, Fast Food Nation—based on the book by Eric Schlosser, who cowrote the screenplay—provides an eye-opening account of an industry that has insinuated itself into the fabric of American life. The film shows that behind the smiles and the flashy ad campaigns, all is not well. From the punishing conditions suffered by slaughterhouse workers and the horrific abuse of animals raised for meat to the truly disgusting stuff that ends up in burgers, Fast Food Nation is food for thought for anyone who has ever ordered a burger “to go.”

PETA recently sat down with Linklater to talk about his experiences making the movie, his own views on the fast-food industry, and his reasons for going vegetarian. Check out our exclusive interview.