Climate of Change on DVD, February 22
Tilda Swinton lyrically narrates Climate of Change with poetry by Simon Armitage that frighteningly describes the distress of Planet Earth. In this documentary from the Tribeca Film series, the audience meets “ordinary people” from all over the world who have joined the battle to save the planet. From the producers of An Inconvenient Truth, Climate of Change is a rallying cry for the people—as individuals—to join the fray.
Filmmaker Brian Hill visited West Virginia to document activists against mountaintop-removal mining. Ironically, many of the shots of desecrated and destroyed mountains are beautifully framed. We may not appreciate this method of coal removal, but the symmetry of the machines’ imprints is visually arresting, as are images throughout Climate of Change, such as the misty, moody opening sequence.
Poetry that details the beauty of earth’s soil, forests, water, and bounty is interwoven with scenes of committed people who want to make a difference. In India, viewers meet a group of school children who have dedicated themselves with a passion to reduce the use of plastics. In Papua, New Guinea, one community will not allow commercial logging and practices sustainable methods to preserve the rainforest. Villagers in Africa are taught how to cook with solar power. In Norway, built into the permafrost is the Global Seed Vault, where seeds of all types of plants from all over the globe are stored. People from all these places are introduced and tell their stories.
The message of Climate of Change may promote environmental awareness and encourage involvement, but the beauty is in the cinematography. Hill and his cinematographers have captured a plethora of stunning portraits of Earth and her people. (Release: February 22, 2011)
Follow Technorati