Much of the film consists of Pete Postlethwaite poking the screen, but The Age of Stupid still makes some solid points
Standing out from the crowd of doom-and-gloom documentaries is an increasingly difficult task. Give credit to The Age of Stupid, then, for at least finding a unique framing device — the film’s documentary segments are bookended by scenes of Pete Postlethwaite portraying an archivist in the devastated year 2055, wondering why humanity chose not to save itself when it had the chance. That device (and the film’s title) gives a good understanding of where writer-director Franny Armstrong’s politics lie; The Age of Stupid is a polemic, pure and simple, but it’s one that earns its anger.
One of the key aspects that sets The Age of Stupid apart from other man-made climate change docs — aside from its setting, that is — is its attempt to understand the source of the problem. Many films in the genre are content to treat the oil industry as the villain, portraying it as an international conglomerate hell-bent on making money regardless of what it does to the Earth. Stupid does indulge in that tack, but it also acknowledges that the industry wouldn’t exist if oil wasn’t such a useful thing, and a part of nearly every product and service that westerners demand. So instead of focusing on the science behind climate change or the practices of the oil industry, Stupid looks at a half-dozen lives that have been effected by — or are trying to effect — the world’s reliance on oil.
While the film is respectful of all of its subjects, few of them can be seen as clear-cut heroes or villains. An Indian businessman who wants to make air travel affordable to the masses in his country seems to be doing it for all the right reasons, but there’s no denying the environmental impact of his project. A New Orleans businessman who rescued many of his neighbours during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina acknowledges that his work in the oil industry has likely contributed to the unstable weather of recent years, but has no regrets about his career. Perhaps the most divisive subjects are a pair of Iraqi children who fled their country during the Iraq War and now eke out a meagre existence in Jordan by repairing discarded shoes and selling them to Jordanians. Having been victimized by a war over oil, they understandably see Americans as little but wasteful aggressors, and the origins of terrorism are made abundantly clear when the young boy promises his sister that he will kill any American he sees as revenge for their father’s death.
Oddly, the scenes set in the future are The Age of Stupid’s weakest parts. The film contains far too many shots of Postlethwaite staring at the camera, pretending to view clips on a futuristic computer screen while looking perturbed, sad or downright angry. The devastated world he lives in is a frightening vision, to be sure, but the real world he’s looking at is plenty frightening on its own.
SIDEBAR: THE PLAZA DOES COPENHAGEN
If you believe the arguments of films like The Age of Stupid, the Copenhagen Climate Summit might just mark a pivotal moment in human history. To commemorate these momentous negotiations, The Plaza Theatre has teamed with the Arusha Action Film Series and other Calgary activists to present a pair of documentary screenings.
Home (Saturday, December 12, 2:30 p.m., free with a food bank donation): Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s Home uses aerial views of over 50 countries around the world to show the interconnectedness of the world’s environments. Begun in 2007 and released in 2009, the film used carbon offsetting to balance the emissions used to get the aerial shots.
In Transition 1.0 (Sunday, December 13, 1 p.m. $10): A look at what communities around the world are doing to redefine their energy consumption, food production and general sustainability. In addition to the film, Transition Calgary will be spotlighting some existing Transition projects in Calgary, and will try to help attendees discover what they can do to make a difference.
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