The Documentary “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” Essay

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Introduction

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky is a rather interesting film that reveals many details and events. I liked this work because it shows many stories of ordinary people. In addition, a high-quality picture attracts special attention. It is essential to note that this film demonstrates the contradictory sides of the planet, but, on the other hand, attention is focused on the actual problems. Thus, we do not have a false perception of the existing reality.

However, there are opposing sides that may not allow us to understand the film’s goal fully. In my opinion, there is a lack of an important and direct statement about what needs to be done by those who have watched this film. Despite this, the filmmakers paid attention to the steps proposed by Favianna Rodriguez, which made the work much more thoughtful and exciting. The film shows interviews with various activists, ordinary people, as well as culture-makers of color and various artists. All this makes it possible to contribute significantly to harnessing the power of culture for climate action.

Important Five-Minute Segment from the Documentary

Special attention should be paid to the film’s opening scene, showing the transportation of ivory. It occupies a special place, as it allows you to set a certain tone to the whole work. At this moment, we are shown how the locals in Kenya collect ivory in several designs, the purpose of which the viewer will know later (Baichwal et al., 2018, 03:46). The voiceover tells the story of how bones became an object from which various ornaments or other things are made. In this scene, there is also a dialogue with a local activist, who tells the details about what this industry is (Baichwal et al., 2018, 05:14). In addition, the shooting is carried out for quite a long time, demonstrating to us the cohesion of people engaged in the creation of certain installations.

In this scene, a particularly important point is the woman’s story, who is trying to force the audience to pay attention to this problem emotionally. She says that these installations use ivory from 10,000 elephants (Baichwal et al., 2018, 03:48). My imagination could not immediately reproduce such many animals that were killed. In this case, the scene works quite well, as it allows filmmakers to set a serious tone for the whole narrative. In my opinion, due to this scene, the audience understands the scale of the problem, which many do not even think about.

It is worth noting that we will find out what these ivory constructions were intended for in the future. This scene continues at the end of the film, where we see their burning (Baichwal et al., 2018, 1:20:02). The woman also speaks about this at the beginning of the film, drawing attention to the fact that they failed to save the animals from death. However, they take actions that will at least preserve their dignity not to be sold. It is noteworthy that before the final scene, where the burning is shown to us, there is a moment where the artist’s story from Hong Kong is revealed.

This contrasts significantly with what the activist was talking about. The fact is that stunning works of art made of ivory are being demonstrated. The artist tells the audience about the painstaking work and the values that those works carry (Baichwal et al., 2018, 1:15:00). However, in my opinion, the authors of the films are trying to put before us a moral and ethical question about how to deal with ivory more nobly. Moreover, burning is an act of protest that aims to prevent the killing of elephants. Works of art, on the contrary, become part of this process, thereby not stopping it.

Film Evaluation

The film uses steps that Faviana Rodriguez highlighted to change the culture to combat climate change. The principle of “Pass the mic to artists and culture-makers of color” is clearly demonstrated since, in the film, we see various activists who influence its narrative. This step is essential because it gives the right to vote to those people who are at the epicenter of most environmental problems (Rodriguez, 2021). Thus, by bringing their activities to the fore, the directors allow the audience to see and understand how people live and struggle with problems, for whom this is all real.

It is worth mentioning here a woman from the beginning and the end which talks about the problem of the extermination of elephants. Her activities are truthfully aimed at drawing attention to the growing problem of killing animals for the sake of any material things. The burning action demonstrates a protest that should become the basis for the pre-revolution of extermination. Other people of color who play an essential role are also shown in this film. It is especially interesting that the filmmakers paid attention to Faviana Rodriguez’s remark about a hip-hop song. Hence, the film shows a man from Kenya who makes a rap, from the lines of which you can understand the history of the locals and their experiences (Baichwal et al., 2018, 39:29). Thus, I am using this step to draw attention to the activities of people directly involved in harnessing the power of culture for climate action.

The second step that the filmmakers use is “Make human stories to move human beings”. Its primary significance lies in demonstrating ordinary people’s more understandable and mundane stories (Rodriguez, 2021). Such a solution allows you to pay attention to existing problems in a more accessible way by appealing to the feeling of empathy (Rodriguez, 2021). The film also copes with this task quite successfully. This is determined by the fact that it shows many stories of workers involved in various industries. Thus, getting acquainted with their stories, it is much easier for viewers to associate themselves with the participants of the filming.

The film itself shows the activities of people related to various environmental aspects. Hence, at the beginning of the film, the life of workers from Norilsk is shown (Baichwal et al., 2018, 09:50). In this case, three women are interviewed, who talk about how they got to the metallurgical plant. It becomes clear to us that they are not directly related to the fact that production significantly pollutes the atmosphere. However, the viewer can feel the story of what they get to this job since there are practically no alternatives left. This can be noted in the approach of Edward Burtynsky, which demonstrates various types, thereby drawing attention to the problem, a similar approach is used by the film directors (Khatchadourian, 2016). Throughout the film, many stories are told, and various interviews are taken, which allows me to reveal the people’s attitudes toward what they are doing.

The third step that the filmmakers turn to is “Include artists and makers in your work”. The main principle here is to involve various popular personalities in the activities that will help create a certain attitude to any phenomenon. Thus, the main task is to create and promote an image regarding things that are beneficial to the environment (Rodriguez, 2021). The creators also included several scenes related to artists arranging various performances in the film. For example, the Gotthard base tunnel opening ceremonies featured scenes that draw attention to environmental issues (Baichwal et al., 2018, 46:09). Such moments allow the directors to use an additional language of art, which provides the audience with a different perception of the situation. The demonstrated performance at the opening ceremony draws attention to the fact that collapses occur during construction, due to which people die (Baichwal et al., 2018, 46:19). Thus, the filmmakers carry out the process of communication with the viewer on a different level, changing their attitude to the perception of environmental problems from the activities of people.

Conclusion

Summing up, it should be said that this film demonstrates many aspects of environmental problems. Many different techniques are used to achieve this goal, ranging from the type of shooting, and ending with the plot itself. This approach to documentaries allows filmmakers to attract much more viewers, as it creates a sense of the naturalness of the film. Various shots showing cities, mountains and other objects are genuinely fascinating. However, their main task is to create a perception in the viewer of a sense of anxiety about the fact that everything that is demonstrated has undergone a significant change.

These deformations of the earth or the destruction of animals are humans’ faults, and the film states this quite convincingly. In order to demonstrate the problem differently and in more detail, the steps highlighted by Favianna Rodriguez are taken. The filmmakers make ordinary people the prominent participants in the film, allowing certain statements to be made. They relate to the fact that, in this way, a person is not separated from the reality in which we exist. Each of us is a part of all this, which is why directors are trying to change our attitudes toward reality.

References

Baichwal, J., de Pencier, N., & Burtynsky, E. (Directors). (2018). Anthropocene: The Human Epoch [Film]. Mercury Films.

Khatchadourian, R. (2016). . The New Yorker.

Rodriguez, F. (2021). Harnessing cultural power. In A. E. Johnson & K. K. Wilkinson (Eds.), All we can save: Truth, courage, and solutions for the climate crisis (pp. 1–5). One World.

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IvyPanda. 2023. "The Documentary "Anthropocene: The Human Epoch"." April 10, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-anthropocene-the-human-epoch/.

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