"Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors."

-Jonas Salk

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Is There a Swarm Solution?

Coalition Of The Willing from coalitionfilm on Vimeo.

It's a stupid name; about grass roots environmentalism rather than about wars of invasion.

It starts off strong and then gets into some frantic handwaving and saccharine and not entirely well-grounded reassurance and encouragement.

I honestly don't think the swarm they describe will be enough. And perhaps what swarming there will be doesn't need this kind of cheerleading. The makers will make and the thinkers will think. It is perhaps a bit early to get the B Ark folks too interested. And not everyone will be too attracted by the piece's 60's utopianism, though I for one think the cultural history is presented about right. And the amount of oversimplification in this little pep talk is astronomical.

I really liked it anyway.

It is, at least, a start toward a vision of the future that isn't a horror. And if the cloying narration starts to get to you, you can turn the sound down and enjoy the excellent and creative animations.

2 comments:

hengist mcstone said...

I first saw this film about a year ago and I was a bit nonplussed by the nebulous call to action. It seems to lose it's way half way through. Sure, it showcases the skills of the filmmakers but I'm not convinced (at all) they really have understod the dimensions of the problem. The problem Im referring to btw is the yawning gap between where the scientists are at on AGW and where the public are on it and where the politicians are on it, (note to self:a three way mexican stand off springs to mind). It's an absorbing conundrum anyhow, and IMHO this film doesnt do the problem justice ergo it downplays it.

Michael Tobis said...

Yes, I agree, but on the other hand, it is a step in the right direction. We have to somehow imagine a crowded world with dignity.

Else we will lose the dignity quickly and eventually we will kill off the crowd.

And somehow the internet has to play a role in the positive changes.

So I don't disagree with what they say, and I feel that the way they are saying it is at least partly helpful in that they try to find a hopeful vision.

But it had better be more convincing than this or it will just discourage people.