Tuesday, April 9, 2024
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We have selected five fiction pieces of content that, in addition to being entertaining, present constructive ideas to society about the environment and caring for the planet.
By Dalia Alonso
Movies and television shows are among the most powerful weapons of our time. Although much of the content found on streaming platforms is for entertainment alone, audiovisual fiction can also be educational, with stories that teach lessons about issues such as environmental stewardship and sustainability.
In addition, during film award season, there are many opportunities to focus the dialogue on issues such as sustainability and make it easier to communicate with the general public. For example, on the red carpet at the Oscars, attendees are encouraged to wear clothes made by sustainable companies and even to wear them again at other events, thereby supporting the circular economy. At the ceremony itself, the use of LED light bulbs and recyclable materials are encouraged, in addition to offering guests a plant-based menu. There are also several film festivals around the world whose primary motivation is sustainability, such as Suncine, the Seoul Ecological Film Festival, and the Ona Film Festival in Venice.
We selected five films of different genres with different audiences to enrich our minds while having a good time:
Don't look up! (Adam McKay, 2021, available on Netflix)
In this satire on environmental denialism, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay in 2022, among others, scientists Kate (Jennifer Lawrence) and Randall (Leonardo DiCaprio) warn the world of the imminent arrival of a meteor that will destroy planet Earth. Faced with a public opinion bent on denying a phenomenon perfectly visible in the sky, the scientists get caught up in a series of absurd situations with various characters that offer a satirical depiction of real life.
Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)
In this sci-fi blockbuster starring Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, which is an adaptation of Frank Herbert's saga of novels, we can see the havoc caused by the exploitation of resources with no regard for sustainability. The story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), a young man who must travel to the planet Arrakis to control the extraction of spice, a substance that is fundamental to the survival of the universe. There he is confronted by the planet's native inhabitants, who will not allow anyone to take away their resources so easily. The second part, Dune 2, was released in theaters in 2024.
The Crusade (Louis Garrel, 2021, available on Filmin)
In this 67-minute comedy-drama, a group of children and teenagers team up to fund, behind their parents' backs, an environmental project in Africa. The story begins when Abel (Louis Garrel) and Marianne (Laetitia Casta) discover that their son has been selling all the valuables in the house to support his own personal fight for the environment. This is a fable for all ages that reflects on idealism, environmentalism, and parenthood.
Wall-E (Pixar, 2008, available on Disney Plus)
This now classic animated film tells the story of Wall-E, a robot who is left to clean up a devastated planet Earth after humans decide to evacuate and move to another part of the galaxy. A film that denounces neglect and disregard for our environment, it successfully conveys its message with hardly any dialogue and will make children and adults alike reflect with a smile on their faces. It was awarded Best Animated Film at the 2009 Oscars.
Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)
The year is 2154, and humans are trying to reach Pandora, a moon that contains one of the most sought-after natural materials in the universe. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is an former soldier who, through an avatar program, will arrive on Pandora to begin negotiations with its native inhabitants, the Na'vi. There, Jake falls in love with the moon's breathtaking natural world and also with one of its inhabitants, which will make him reflect on colonization and on the human race's unbridled exploitation of natural resources. It was nominated for nine Oscars in 2010, including Best Picture. Its sequel, The Way of Water, was released in 2022 and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
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