Movie Reviews - The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth
I am seriously behind on my posts but I wanted to get this one out before I lost track of my thoughts (I am 40 you know).
DH and I watched An Inconvenient Truth a few weeks ago. We are not much on going to the theater these days unless the major feature involves animated characters - but even those are few and far between. So we are behind the rest of the world in seeing most major motion pictures. My thoughts on this particular movie were somewhat mixed. Although I think the overall message was good and very much needed, I was a little disappointed by the regular commentary about politics and how Al Gore was totally robbed of the presidency and how the other party is responsible for the lack of progress on environmental issues. Whether this is true or not I thought these comments were unnecessary and actually took away from the real issues that should have been focused on throughout the film. In addition to the political finger-pointing were the personal Gore stories that peppered the film. Although these were often times moving and interesting, I thought that they were included for the political punch that they could provide as opposed to the impact they had on the overall message of global warming and climate change. The message was good but I think it would have been much more to the point and, probably received by those on the opposite side of the political aisle a little better, if the movie had remained focused on the actual issues and not drifted off-topic so much. Still, I encourage others to watch it and to keep an open mind. The main message is what should be focused on and not the underlying rhetoric.
On another note, The 11th Hour took a different approach. This film included images of serious disasters that definitely caught our attention. Honestly, I am certainly not a movie critic nor an expert on climate change, but this movie disturbed me. I couldn’t sleep after watching it. It literally moved me to tears. Maybe I was just too tired! I lay next to my daughter watching her sleep and felt overwhelmed withfear and concern for her future. With the situation as direas the movie portrayed (and I believe to be the case) is there any way that we can reverse the problem and make our world safe and inhabitable for our children and grandchildren? In addition to the scenes of destruction, the movie also included commentary from many experts in numerous fields of science and other disciplines. Many talked about extinction of animal species. Now, most people think of the polar bears when they hear about extinction associated with global warming but there were many experts in this film that were referring to the human species as being some of the next victims of extinction! Human beings? Extinct? Yes. Why not? Who says we are indestructible?
On another note, I have made the mistake of reading some blog posts about peak oil. Ok, not a mistake. I am not to the panic point (yet) and I haven’t started stock-piling food (yet). But there are many others out there that have started preparing for the end of the world - or at least a major shift in how we function in this world. Although this behavior does worry me, even more disconcerting is the fact that MOST people are not even aware that there is a problem. Are they in denial? Does the media bombard us so much that we can’t see the reality of what is happening around us on a daily basis?
The other night we saw something on television about Trash Mountain (can’t remember all of the details). This was a documentary on the landfill in Los Angeles (I think). It was disgusting to see the amount of garbage that is deposited into the landfill everyday! But what disturbed me about the documentary was that the garbage was completely overshadowed! The film was focused on the cool machines that were used to move and hide the garbage! What? Are we that pathetic that we can’t see garbage that we create everyday because we are so enamored with the heavy equipment that is used to manage it?
I am not sure what it will take for our eyes to be opened to the problem that is happening around us. Major movies with Vice Presidents and mega stars aren’t reaching everyone (and are actually pushing some even further away). And, yes, I would love for our world to be clean and pristine for my children and grandchildren and all of the generations to come after me. And for the polar bears to be plentiful and safe in the unmelted ice caps. And for weather disasters to be unusual events instead of regular occurrences. But more than ANY of those things, I would like for human beings to be on this earth for a little while longer. I don’t like the thought of my daughter struggling for her own survival. She deserves better and so do all of the other children on this planet.
Regardless of my own personal thoughts, if you haven’t seen these movies, check them out from your library and keep an open mind.
4 Responses to “Movie Reviews - The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth”
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I haven’t seen 11th Hour, but I had kind of the same response as you did to Inconvenient Truth. Even so, it motivate me to do more to live more sustainably, especially in the area of transportation.
Hey Joyce! I am so glad that you had a similar impression! I worried that my opinion was a little too harsh - I mean, there was a Nobel prize involved here! But the film motivated me in many ways too and it was well worth my time!!
Visual images can be pretty powerful. So can the Peak Oil stuff. Honestly, I’ve had to stop reading some of it once I felt that I got a grip on the issues. I am doing everything I can and then some. It is harder to motivate with fear and anxiety for me. I’m working toward something positive now, focusing on local and seeing results. That helps.
Hi there,
I was able to sit through AIT today. I agree that the politics was better left out, but I do think it should have been mentioned (and it was) about the falsifying of documents to make it look as if it is speculation. I remember as a child that the cigarette companies did the same with their advertising, and are only now, being held accountable. Hope it doesn’t take that long to change this. I remember (as do you) growing up in the snow and on the ski slopes of NC. Have you checked the ski reports from NC lately (in the prime of season, of course)? I also remember growing up without AC. Never really needed it. Either I’ve become a ’softy’, or the Summers are getting more unbearable every year. I also see an increase in the tick problem just in the years I’ve lived down here. Didn’t have a real issue with them until the last four years. Now, I have to inspect the entire family and the dogs if we go outside for any length of time.