With a formidable cast of actors, researchers, government representatives, undercover reporters, businessmen and citizens, Eating Our Way to Extinction is a documentary that does not shy away from hard truths. The crux of the matter: our dietary choices and personal lifestyle have led us to an unprecedented and imminent ecological collapse. Directed brothers Ludo and Otto Brockway, the project span continents and was filmed over the course of four years to uncover numerous yet linked threats to our one home. Kate Winslet provides an impeccably balanced voiceover narration that pulls stunning, albeit worrisome, cinematography along with an epic orchestral music score.
In the vein of other eco-conscious films and series (Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, and the “Our Planet” series) that raise concern about climate change, this film too employs a combination of journalism, scientific citations and graphics, personal interviews and investigative reporting. Densely packed, the film weaves a thread to link all major environmental hazards to animal agriculture, or intensive factory farm-based animal husbandry. Rearing of livestock, feed-production, antibiotics and deforestation are all driven by our choice to consume meat and fish. The consequences manifest in species loss, water cycle changes, pandemics, troubling antibiotic resistance and unforeseen rise in global temperatures.
Meanwhile, the film also provides a look into the sinister world of high-level corruption. Meat-industry lobbyists continue to derail regulatory or international policies to limit the growth of the meat industry and fisheries. In one scene, we are privy to confessions of a lobbyist who claims to charge half a million euros to pass legislation in favor of his pro-meat clients. Besides an extensive examination of agribusinesses and their nefarious strategies, we also follow the harmful fishing industries (especially in Norway and Scotland) and also jump into the ocean full of microplastics. Spoiler alert: switching from meat to fish isn’t really helping because if “our oceans die, so do we”. The filmmakers unequivocally recommend the benefits of a plant-based diet, hearkening to the call made by Game Changers, another pioneering documentary.
In terms of storytelling, a salient merit is the equilibrium achieved between portrayal of devastating realism and depiction of positive, meaningful impact. In the latter instance, we see the power of NGOs (such as the Green Warriors), Ecosia (a Google alternative that plants trees) and the trend towards vegan diets and plant-based meat alternatives. Another strength of the movie is its involvement of indigenous populations who are often ignored or represented by proxy. A particularly poignant scene includes a member of an indigenous rainforest community saying: “This is not our forest, we are only a small part of it.” Throughout the documentary, we receive such powerful messages, reminders of our role as custodians and not masters of Nature that surrounds and nurtures us. At the same time, the film is sprinkled with disturbing images of diseased fish and animals (that end up on our dinner plates). A visual of people holding up mobile phones and neon signs popping up that read “I WANT” serves as a stark satire of unchecked human greed.
The sheer breadth of topics linked to environmental destruction is impressive. Despite its ambition, at times the quantity of subjects to cover does feel like a grocery-list of disparate items. Nonetheless, the pacing attempts to make up for the expanse of issues without leaving viewers with an aftertaste of superficiality or feeling overwhelmed. At times, the A-list appearances (Richard Branson of Virgin fame and Tony Robbins, the celebrity self-help guru) feel misplaced, subtly undermining the messaging of this well-intentioned documentary. If anything, these self-fashioned “environmental philanthropists” overlook the culpability of profit-driven, exploitative, wealth-driven economies in bringing us to the threshold of ecological doom.
Although eco-documentaries often garner an audience that is already sensitized, movies such as this one deserve to be made and popularized because information is power. We live in a climate of unfounded skepticism, climate-change deniers, rampant falsehoods and misinformation. Now more than ever, narratives based on expert opinion balanced with first-person accounts from the grassroots level are vital to change. Although the film tries its best to steer away from “green-washing,” there is some room for improvement when it comes to touting quick, guilt-free fixes that might not have real long term impacts. Taken together, Eating Our Way to Extinction is a tour de force, already being lauded by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio. At the end of the movie, we as individuals are left with no alternative but to reassess our personal choices, quickly, when it comes to saving the planet.
Photo courtesy of Broxstar Productions
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