As a film buff, of sorts, I know the power that movies have to evoke emotion, and even make change. So here are some great enviro and social films, some docs, some mainstream.
Erin Brockovich – It’s the classic David v. Goliath story so central to the environmental struggle. Plus, it stars Julia Roberts, who shows us that a single person can make a difference.
Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action - This documentary follows four Native tribes across the U.S. battling environmental pollution and destruction on their reservations, while trying to keep hold of their way of life.
Whale Rider – The New Zealand surprise smash, this film chronicles the struggles and eventual reconciliation of young Maori girl Paikea with her chief grandfather. Features whales, Maori culture, and the struggle to maintain the culture of their tiny, remote coastal village.
The Day After Tomorrow – Okay, so it’s got some crap in it, but it’s based on the real threat of our altering thermohaline circulation (ie. Gulf Stream and it’s deep-ocean, cold-water counterpart). Plus, lots of stuff gets blown up and there’s Jake Gyllenhal.
An Inconvenient Truth – Really, really good. And now an Academy Award winner! Much like Al Gore’s lecture shown on LinkTV, but with extra explanations and a bit more storyline. We learn cool stuff like the fact that he has been trying to educate the government and the public about global warming since he was a college student. A relatively apolitical, non-partisan look at the cold, hard (or is it hot and melty?) science of global warming.
Who Killed the Electric Car? - Out summer 2006. About the fabulous birth, short life, and suspicious death of GM’s EV1 electric car, released in California in the mid-1990s.
Soylent Green – I haven’t seen it yet, but this 1973 sci-fi cult flick is set in a post-apocalyptic and dystopian New York in the year 2022, where the impoverished masses are fed by a fake food called Soylent (comes in Red, Yellow, and Green flavors) and natural food is a luxury only for the super-rich. But when police Detective Thorn (played by Charleton Heston) investigates a mysterious death, he finds out the chilling secret of the Soylent company. *UPDATE* I saw it. It was awful and sexist and campy and really didn’t say much. In other words, the perfect opportunity for a remake that comments on today’s social ills. *grin*
