One month ago, I was relieved to be in an air-conditioned theater on one of those dog days of summer in New York City. It was The Film Society of Lincoln Center's “Green Screens” series, and a special screening of "The 11th Hour," the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary and de facto companion piece to Al Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth."
"The 11th Hour" examines the imminent environmental crisis, but doesn’t limit its scope to global warming. Overfishing, deforestation, extinction of species, habitat destruction and other optimistic topics were significant themes as well. The movie argues that as humans we are nearly exceeding the Earth's carrying capacity, and that the time to act is NOW. The interviewees note that the planet will survive just fine without us, but if humans are to survive we need to reintegrate ourselves into part of the complex whole and not dominate and consume the planet’s natural resources. In other words, we need to switch our role from lead to supporting actor, with the Earth playing the lead.
"The 11th Hour" is worth seeing for a few reasons. It gives a good schoolbook narrative of many of the environmental problems and players. The film features 54 interviews and meditations from scientists, historians, environmentalists, writers, businessmen, and political leaders -- as well as some unsung heroes, such as sustainable designers. These experts range from authors Paul Hawken and Bill McKibben to Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union, and physicist Stephen Hawking, to well-known environmental figures like David Orr and David Suzuki; they cover varied topics from corporate power to the amazing healing powers of mushrooms. All speak to the challenges that have emerged from unchecked industrialization and the grim future we face if drastic changes aren’t made immediately.
These interviews serve to bring some expertise, experience, and emotion to the crises and make it more than a Leo show. DiCaprio does narrate the documentary, which is obviously a labor of love, shot with beautiful scenic backgrounds. The cinematography is worthy of the Discovery Channel on HDTV, with even images of overflowing landfills and polluted water bodies, and fish kills being visually arresting.
About one hour into the movie, I began to get angry and depressed. I had already made visceral decisions while watching the footage to stop eating fish and write my senators more often, but the sheer volume and global scale of the environmental problems began to feel overwhelming. What keeps "The 11th Hour" from being a doom and gloom alarmist movie is when it makes the case in the last one-third of the movie that solutions already exist, but what's missing is action, the political will to create legislation and implement smart designs.
Our current environmental crisis is due to the failure of our government, our corporations, and our culture of consumerism. As one of the sister directors has been quoted saying “the solution requires a huge shift in human consciousness.” I have to confess, I’m still a bit skeptical that we can solve all of these environmental problems, but I felt the lessons of designer William McDonough and the amazing uses of fungi empowered at least some of us who left the screening room. That’s a start.
Note: The Film Society of Lincoln Center's new Green Screens program was created to address the issues of global warming, the safety of our food supply, and sustainable living. The series' goal is "to raise consciousness and empower all of us to make necessary changes in our everyday lives". The screening of "The 11th Hour" was the inaugural movie of the series; check back at Lincoln Center for upcoming movies and events.
