January 2008
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FacebookFilm Review: The 11th Hour and A Convenient Truth
By Stephanie Jackman
The 11th Hour, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a gorgeous film. The cinematography, particularly the aerial footage of our blue-green planet, is stunning. If Leo’s goal was to inspire appreciation for the environment, he succeeded.
Beautiful scenery, however, is not enough to elicit behavioural change, and surely that was the film’s intent.
Instead of guiding me toward responsible action, it belaboured the reasons I should be concerned while relentlessly assaulting me with images of the tsunami in Thailand, Hurricane Katrina, and other natural disasters.
Enough already. I felt genuine panic but learned little about how to avert the grim fate awaiting humanity.
In that respect, it was typical of the environmental genre. It spent too much time scaring the wits out of me and not enough time proposing solutions. It didn’t offer enough tools to help me “Turn mankind’s darkest hour into its finest.”Irrefutable evidence that climate change is the problem of the 21st century has long been mounting. I don’t need filmmakers to further convince me that global warming is real. I know there’s a problem. I believe I’m part of the solution. I left the theatre wondering if anyone could tell me what that solution is.Then I saw A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil. I was moved, inspired, filled with hope.Compared to the storm cloud of The 11th Hour, this documentary is a ray of sunshine. Give us more films and books like this, and maybe we’ll solve the problem after all.A Convenient Truth is narrated by Giovanni Vaz Del Bello and produced by Maria Terezinha Vaz. It shows how Curitiba has become one of the world’s most sustainable cities by building affordable housing, revamping public transportation, creating park land, and getting serious about recycling.Interviews with city officials reveal the obstacles, costs and timelines associated with Curitiba’s sustainability renaissance. Interviews with citizens demonstrate how the resulting changes have benefited the city and its people.
If you want beautiful scenery spiced with celebrity watch The 11th Hour and listen to Leo’s pleas for change. If you want to learn how to begin making the necessary changes, watch A Convenient Truth. It’s only half as long. I count it among the most valuable 53 minutes I’ve recently spent.
TAKE ACTION:
- Visit The 11th Hour website. It suggests how kids, students, adults, business leaders, and elected officials can make a difference. The film provides little practical advice, but the website is surprisingly helpful.
- Watch A Convenient Truth and be inspired by how simple and inexpensive it is to create systemic change. Visit Maria’s website to buy the DVD.
- Write to your alderman. Urge him or her to watch A Convenient Truth. Ask what he or she is doing to advance recycling programs, increase access to public transportation, and provide affordable housing in Calgary.
- Start an action group, or join an existing one. Connect with others around the world seeking to stem the effects of global warming.
March 9th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Interesting revue of 11th Hour. Personally my reaction was a bit different, and after seeing it about 20 times from hosting various screenings, I learnt something new each time. I guess I saw the same shocking footage that did indeed invoke a an emotional guilt trip, however I found the ending quite touching on how it all comes back to one fundamental truth: its not about climate change, not about loss of biodiversity, pollution, etc, it is about the human condition and how we interact with one another and nature. So fix ourselves and we fix the problem. The one up I liked about this movie over an INconvenient truth was its solution focused ending, and the fact that it paints a broader picture of the situation, when most focus on one issue alone. Im also adding a Convenient truth to my must watch list. Thanks! Have you seen the short documentary on Enrique Penaloza from Bagota? worth watching, sounds along the same line.