2040 (doc, 2020)

June 4, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness.  Where do you see yourself in “X” years? That’s a common job interview question, and with a slight twist, it’s the question Damon Gameau asks himself and us … only his question is about our planet, and it’s meant to have us consider life for the next generation. Mr. Gameau makes it personal by structuring this as a (future) video letter to his 4 year old daughter Velvet, and describing what the world could be when she turns 25. What we immediately notice is that Gameau takes an optimistic approach, in contrast to the doom-and-gloom versions of climate change that we’ve come to expect. Rather than scare tactics, Gameau dishes hope.

In 2015, Australian Gameau delivered a documentary (THAT SUGAR FILM) where he dove mouth-first into the evils of sugar in our diet, and it’s his experience and training as an actor that allows him to come across as ‘one of us’ as he finagles his way through complicated topics. This time out, he tackles climate change and the environment, and he does so by focusing on the solutions and approaches that already exist. This is designed to prove to us that making a better tomorrow is within our grasp, and there’s no need for a miracle – and no excuse for waiting for one.

We follow along to different countries, and hear from many experts. The topics include carbon off-set, the oceans’ acidity level, solar-powered microgrids in Bangladesh, soil regeneration, on-demand self-driving electric cars, and doughnut-hole economics. Along the way, Gameau lets us hear from the experts, as well as a group of school kids who tell us what they’d like their future world to look like.

Science is discussed, but true science geeks may find this a bit too light on data and research. Gameau chooses instead to give us a glimpse into some available solutions from around the globe. We do learn that the oceans absorb heat and carbon, so carbon off-set through sequestering carbon and reducing emissions is essential. We learn that one-third of farmland is used to grow food for animals, so the advantage to growing more food is obvious – and it also leads to interesting discussions of soil regeneration. Given our current structure, it’s difficult to imagine if many parking lots and roads could be converted to greenspace again, and the on-demand self-driving electric cars segment was quite enlightening.

Kate Raworth wrote the 2017 book “Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist”, and the Gameau gives us an animated overview of what this means. Whether it’s a practical solution is unclear, but Gameau has enlisted passionate people to his cause of focusing on existing solutions to provide a better future. Even though his ‘imagined’ year 2040 features him with grey hair, and the score throughout is quite obtrusive, Damon Gameau is to be commended for an entertaining and positive look at what we can do right now to ensure a better tomorrow. There is hope.

The film is available VOD on June 5, 2020, and for more information: https://whatsyour2040.com/

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

THAT SUGAR FILM (2015, doc)

July 29, 2015

that sugar film Greetings again from the darkness. Ever since Morgan Spurlock provided us with a gut check on the evils of McDonalds with his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, movie goers have shown a real appetite for information on food and nutrition. We have since had informative and entertaining documentaries on wheat, corn, fat, organics and gardening. This latest sweet film comes from Australian director Damon Gameau. He takes the Spurlock approach and personally becomes a lab rat to expose the effects of too much sugar. His mission is 60 days of eating “typical” sugar intake through what would ordinarily be considered “healthy” foods. In other words: no ice cream, candy or soda.

Mr. Gameau introduces himself as a healthy guy who exercises regularly and eats a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables. His girlfriend is 6 months pregnant as he begins this 60 day experiment into the world of sugar. There is a quick history lesson on how sugar became a food staple, and fellow Australian Hugh Jackman explains the pivotal event that occurred in 1955 – a Dwight Eisenhauer heart attack. This spurred debate between US doctors who blamed it on high fat, while the British doctors attributed it to an excess of sugar. The low-fat revolution began, and was actually responsible for the increased amount of sugar in our processed foods. We learn that a full 80% of the standard products on grocery store shelves contain added sugar.

A panel of medical experts provides the necessary tests upfront that set the baseline for blood work, enzyme levels, liver function, weight, etc. The comparison 60 days later is frightening, but it’s Gameau’s daily journey that provides the real insight and biggest eye-openers. He doesn’t spend much time focusing on any particular brands, though Pepsi (Mountain Dew), Coca-Cola and Jamba Juice each takes some serious jabs. Instead we witness his mood swings and lack of motivation for exercise.

British actor Stephen Fry explains the Glucose/Fructose make-up of Sucrose and we are given an overview of how our bodies process this – including a briefing on the role of insulin. As the days go on, we witness Gameau’s weight gain and he explains his lethargy and most surprisingly, his mental inconsistencies. He has bouts of cloudiness in a mind that was once clear. It’s this and the dramatic change in his liver that delivers the real scare.

It seems clear that all calories are not created equally (a calorie from an apple is not processed the same as a calorie from a Snickers), and that food companies have put much effort into hiding, or at least disguising, the amount of sugars added to the massive amount of processed food consumed each year by the average person. Perhaps Diabetes and Obesity and tooth decay are not thought to be immediate enough threats to cause a shift away from the convenience of processed food. Mr. Gameau shows just how dramatic and severe the changes can be in only 60 days. So imagine 5 years. 25 years. Just how much warning do we need?

watch the trailer:

 

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Posted by David Ferguson