Home - a film review

A film review from my time at COP18 in Doha:

As part of the Doha Film Institute’s Green Screen programme throughout COP18, I have also had the opportunity to watch “Home”. A film that I will definitely be sharing with others on my return to the UK and one I think would make for great viewing and discussion at a MADE cafe. So here’s another film summary and review from me.

“Home” tells the story of the interaction between humans and the Earth from early civilisation through to today. We discover how the world has changed, how humans have settled, adapted and come to be the masters of our Earth. “Home” shows us through imagery and compelling narration, how we went from nomadic tribes, to farmers and towns, to mass agriculture and then the industrial age. This is a sad tale of how we have impacted the Earth, taken advantage of its resources and all it has to give us without a care for the devastation we cause, and inevitably the impact the destruction of the natural balance will have on us. As the film so aptly demonstrates, in the end, living beyond the means the Earth has to provide will only lead to our own end.

For me, this was one of the most impactful films on the subject I have seen. Using only aerial footage of the Earth, the filmmakers have told a story we all need to hear. They have used beautiful and heart breaking images of mines, forests, human settlements, rivers, farms and more, to illustrate how we live and how we interact with the Earth. There are no actors; there are no interviews, only images and narration.

The narration compliments the imagery, telling not only the story of human civilisation, but also putting forth hundreds of statistics that are hard to ignore but easier to comprehend through the pictures presented to us. Here are just a few:

·         80% of the world’s resources are used by only by only 20% of the world’s population

·         Half of the world’s wealth is today in the hands of only 2% of its population

·         500 million people, greater than the population of Europe, live in the world’s deserts

·         By 2025, water shortages could affect almost 2 billion people

·         70% of humanity’s water consumption accounted for by agriculture

·         ¾ of the world’s fishing grounds are depleted or in danger of being so

·         The world’s mangroves were reduced by half in the last century

·         The polar ice caps have lost 30% of their surface area in the last 30 years

However, the film also offers a source of hope. The last scenes concentrate on what we are doing to combat these changes. For instance, Gabon is the world’s greatest producer of timber but its government has introduced a policy which allows only one tree to be cut down per hectare, protecting its forests.

The film shows us how much needs to be done, but also that we should not despair, that we can change and that we can make a difference.

I was inspired. Make sure you have it on your list of films to watch.