Movie Review: The 11th Hour

The 11th Hour is a documentary produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. At first I was suspicious about the guy from Titanic being a respected advocate regarding climate change. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this film.

First, it employs the expertise from a diverse panel of independent experts. Scientists sharing their research in the film include Stuart Pimm and Stephen Schneider (from Duke and Stanford respectively) and, most notably perhaps, Stephen Hawking. In addition to these experts are leaders in the fields of ecological architecture, product development, and planning. Even James Woolsey, former director of the CIA, contributes. For the purposes of this blog, the most impressive element of the film was its inclusion of religious perspectives. There is even a special section of the film devoted to several faith communities including Native American spirituality which is frequently identified with its deep connection to nature.

One of the fundamental messages of the film is the reminder that humans are not separate or distinct from nature. We are part of nature - as the story from Genesis puts it: we are part of God's Creation. So any talk of "the environment" or "nature" as being separate from humanity is inherently flawed. We are one with nature. We are one among millions of species sharing life on this planet.

Really the issue then, as the film presents it, is not whether humans will destroy the earth - because that isn't as much what is at stake. The earth has existed for billions of years, and it will likely continue to exist for billions more. The only real question is whether or not humans will render the earth unlivable - at least for our species. The earth provides the perfect conditions for life to exist in a way we have not found in any other place. But will we destroy this delicate balance so that human life (or other life) ceases to exist? The earth will go on, but will we?

The final thing I enjoyed about this film was its price and packaging. It was $5 which indicates to me these people were not trying to make a film to make money but rather increase awareness about this crucial issue. Also, it was packaged completely in recycled materials. Way to practice what you preach Leo!

I hope you will check it out and share it with others.