Review of The 11th Hour (2007) by Leiah S — 12 May 2008

This conflicted documentary on the current environmental crises is both frustrating and enjoyable at the same time. I will give it credit though. Unlike the overly manipulative An Inconvenient Truth and the politically charged docs by Micheal Moore, the 11th hour is actually in some ways refreshingly down to earth and accessible. For the most part anyways.

The 11th Hour attempts to bring some visual flare into it's presentation, and it actually is quite nice to watch. It bounces around from Dicaprio to footage and images from around the world. As a film, it's quite well put together and fairly engaging to watch.

And it makes some good choices in attempting to steer away from the complete doom and gloom message and infuse some hope and offer us a means of personal involvement in the solution that go beyond the norm. But this is where it becomes conflicted. As it tries to stay focused on the common person, we find it straying towards political rants which only manage to distance ourselves from the solution. It's like it is desperately trying to restrain itself, but it can't help itself at the same time.

The film also does the smart thing by bringing in a mix of voices. We hear from everyone from Suzuki to a pastor who is obviously representing the religious motivations to a native spiritualist. In this sense the film tries to stay true to it's attempts to not simply be a scientific exposition, but a discussion on morals and ethics. But again, it can't help but get wrapped up in it's own scientific jargon at the same time, and it leaves one wanting to hear and see more from the religious perspective which arguably could have had a lot to say on it's themes of moral and ethical obligation to care for our planet.

Again, I would recommend this one leaps and bounds over the contrived An Inconvenient Truth, even if it is just for it's broader vision and attempts to stay balanced. I really enjoyed the parts specifically that spoke to the creative means of approaching a green lifestyle with our businesses and homes. It doesn't quite answer the question of how one does this when the environmental craze is pushing prices up beyond what is manageable or affordable for the common person, but it at least offers an imaginative look at what things could possibly be.