Awaken the environmentalist in you with these 7 films
To be more environment-friendly is a good decision that involves a strong personal motivation. Some people find it in real circumstances in life, others in truths, some deep within themselves. Whatever your motivation is, it is important to know that it's a process that makes you a better person.
If you're still at the onset of your transformation, you might want to see the following films. You've probably seen or heard some of these already. Great. Try to watch them while being aware of environmental principles.
Winged Migration
At first look, Winged Migration seems to be a documentary, but it is actually a film that tells a story of a natural phenomenon – the migration of birds.
You'd probably gasp and wonder how the scenes were shot. Did they spend every filming day flying, covering north to south to film the whole migration event and get such amazing footage? No, they staged most of it with live Canada Geese that were reared specially for the film. Yes, the task was that painstaking, especially since it took them 4 years to complete it.
Watch the behind-the-scenes of the film to appreciate the simple and complex nature of birds and animals in general. I believe this film touches on your environmental side because it shows you a crucial process in a bird's life, which could end in man's hands.
Avatar
Everybody loved Avatar. I wonder if they were aware that its story was a resounding environmental advocacy.
Although it does not guarantee that people become environmentalists after watching the epic film, it sure delighted environmentalists. Here is an epic film that everyone loved and all they needed to do is use it as a material for “stop denuding lands for capitalist gains” campaigns.
The best thing about it is it tackled environmental sensibilities as effective as it did destruction of forest and lives of those who rely on it.
Watch it again with open eyes and see how the Omaticaya people embody the ideal way of “using” the environment to sustain life and order.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
This 1992 animation caters to the young ones, teaching them their first lesson in environmental protection: cutting trees is bad. For grownups, this film admonishes the idea that humans are the culprits in environmental destruction. The message, though coming from animated voices, is resonant among the open-minded.
Food, Inc
Food, Inc. explores the conveyor belt of beef processing from the killing of the animal to the packaging of meat and everything in between. It opens the door to a realm most of us are oblivious to – the contents of the food we eat.
Several times I winced at the scenes, such as the brutal killing of cows and the sorting of the, ugh, I'd rather not say. It does not aim to scare people, but to present or report something we don't know or refuse to see.
If you don't want to lose your appetite for fastfood burger, don't watch this film. But, if you want to understand the real quality of commercial meat and how the global cattle business degrades our environment, grab a copy and set yourself free.
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich is a Julia Roberts film that you've probably seen already, being a box office hit. It is about a battle between one woman and a greedy company defiling the environment – a story that is not very common. It was based on a true story, after all.
As an environmental film, it shows us why speaking up is important – we might also be speaking for the environment. Besides this, there is another environmental principle in point: if it's bad for the environment, it's bad for humans.
The Cove
The Cove is a documentary secretly filmed to unmask the slaughter of dolphins in Wakayama, Japan.
If there's anything about this film that's going to get you down, it's the perversion that drives Japan's whaling industry.
Although this film is not for the faint of heart, it's still an important piece of advocacy that moved many people in the different corners of the world to join the Save Japan Dolphins movement or start their own environmental campaigns where they live.
March of the Penguins
A documentary that informs and inspires, March of the Penguins made the viewers aware of the complexities of the arctic life.
What makes it even more special and great as an environmental film is it puts penguins through a viewing scope that presents their survival-stimulated mundane lives compared to the viewing glass of zoos.
And there's one idea that I bet you fell in love with – the monogamous relationship of penguin pairs. But the complex breeding process, the separation of families for survival's sake, and the cuteness of baby penguins made you appreciate their struggles even more.
Extra: Happy Feet
Inspired by the March of the Penguins, Happy Feet brings more people to become aware of these lovable creatures' battle against encroaching humans and global warming. It carries the message that we have a role in preserving their precious lives.