Reviews
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Reviews |
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Film
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Review by Gary Tomchuk
The 11th Hour is a film about the environmental crisis facing the planet. It does a great job of conveying the problems through the many experts that are called on to shed light on these issues. However, as Einstein said so profoundly “The consciousness that created a problem cannot solve it”, and the 11th Hour carries on the consciousness of the activists who have been harking about these issues for decades – and therefore misses the mark in creating the change in consciousness that it is hoping to produce.
It’s good that the producers have removed the anger of many activists, but the film is missing the emotional components to create the desire of the majority of the audience to really make a change in themselves and work for the bigger changes. In its rush to cover so much information, the film presents 54 experts who get a brief moment to express their message. Having heard many of these people speak, I know how engaging they can be – but the film misses the engagement
The problems are presented as overwhelming in scope, and most of the solutions presented are of the same magnitude – changing cities and system rather than starting with the basics of changing our minds. The two practical examples of a home and a dance floor that generates its own power, are given the same short, no depth treatment
The film is a great rallying of the troops for the already converted, and does present that there are many voices to be heard. As Paul Hawken points out in the film and his new book that there are the environmental and social justice movements are enormous, with millions of people already actively engaged in making a difference.
“An Inconvenient Truth” opened many more people’s vision to these issues. The 11th Hour follows in its footsteps and with Leonardo DiCapro as narrator will draw many of those people back for more.
A memorable quote from the film was former CIA director James Woolsey quoting Winston Churchill “The Americans always do the right thing, but only after they have exhausted all other possibilities”. It appears the activist movement is following that same philosophy. It is the 11th hour, and its time |
