Review of the Environmental Movie HOME
Photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s First Film in Premiere
Jun 8, 2009
French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand is best known for his aerial photographs of the Earth. His latest project, the movie HOME, was released on June 5, 2009 to coincide with World Environment Day.
As he has already proved, Arthus-Betrand is a master at identifying the colors, angles and patterns that show the Earth at its most beautiful. These could be the shadows cast by a train of camels walking through a desert, the myriad shades of blue and white in a glacier in the North Pole, or the symmetrical patterns formed by brightly dyed pieces of cloth laid out to dry in India.
These same skills are brought to bear in HOME, but this time the images are moving and have a clear message: the Earth, the place we call home, is in trouble, and we are largely responsible.
Movie with an Environmental Message
The movie starts by taking the viewer back to the beginning of time, and explains how and when life on Earth came about. We learn, for example, that the world is four billion years old, whereas humans are only 200,000 years old. In the relatively short time we have been around, however, we have had more impact than any other species. In the last 50 years alone, the movie says, the Earth has been more radically changed than by all previous generations of humanity.
Most of the rest of the movie’s 93 minutes is made up of a series of similar facts and figures, illustrated by images, which highlight the damage caused by humans, and the possible irrevocable consequences if the trend is not reversed. The majority of current environmental hot-button issues are touched upon, including:
- Industrial farming and food-production methods;
- Global (fresh) water shortages;
- Climate change and rising sea levels;
- Dependency on fossil fuels;
- Exhaustion of mineral supplies and other natural resources.
Initiatives that Offer Hope
The movie ends by highlighting a few initiatives that might still save us from self-destruction, such as Costa Rica’s redirection of funds away from a military force and into education, eco-tourism and the protection of primary resources, or Denmark’s investment in renewable energy sources.
Even so, HOME hardly makes for comfortable viewing, and this is surely its point. In order to reach as many people as possible, the movie was released on June 5, World Environment Day, in over 50 countries at the same time and on different formats. It premiered at a free, open-air screening under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but was also screened on French television, at film festivals such as Strawberry Earth in Amsterdam, and for free online. Arthus-Betrand’s images show the Earth’s incredible natural beauty, but the movie’s message is that it is also fragile and we are slowly but surely upsetting the natural balance.
Bold Message, Disappointingly Conveyed
This is a timely message, particularly given the profile of climate change and other ‘green’ issues in the news at present. It is a pity, therefore, that the issues are conveyed in such a simplistic and patronizing way. The female voiceover addresses the audience as if she were talking to a class of lower school pupils and the use of phrases like “the great adventure of life” would not sound out of place in Disney’s Lion King.
This is a shame, as HOME is a bold and important project and once again shows Arthus-Bertrand’s keen observational skills and aesthetic sensibilities. This reviewer’s advice? Do your bit for the environment, of course, but enjoy this movie for its stunning visuals - with the sound off.
More information is available on HOME’s official website.
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