“Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.
Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.” (Excerpt from the producer)
Instructions:
- Before watching the film, read the synopsis of the characters and the questions provided below.
- Begin the film and focus on the characters as well as the overall narrative of the film.
- After watching the film, choose one or two of the characters and answer the unique question set.
- Write a submission, post it, and remember to reply to one of your classmates before the end of the week.
Film Characters:
Crystal: a young indigenous leader in Tar Sands country, as she fights for access to a restricted military base in search of answers about an environmental disaster in progress.
Mike and Alexis: a Montana goat ranching couple who see their dreams coated in oil from a broken pipeline. They respond by organizing against fossil fuel extraction in their beloved Powder River Basin, and forming a new alliance with the Northern Cheyenne tribe to bring solar power to the nearby reservation.
Melachrini: a housewife in Northern Greece where economic crisis is being used to justify mining and drilling projects that threaten the mountains, seas, and tourism economy. Against the backdrop of Greece in crisis, a powerful social movement rises.
Jyothi: a matriarch in Andhra Pradesh, India who sings sweetly and battles fiercely along with her fellow villagers, fighting a proposed coal-fired power plant that will destroy a life-giving wetland. In the course of this struggle, they help ignite a nationwide movement.”
Unique Question Set (7 pts.):
- Why do you think Naomi Klein subtitled her book as “Capitalism vs The Climate”? Do you think the lived experiences of the characters showcased in this documentary support this argument? Why or why not?
- What particular examples from the film do you see fitting the first and/or second contradiction(s) of capitalism? Which examples might not fit either of these two contradictions?
Grading Rubric:
- Unique Question Set (7 pts.)
- Comment to Peer (3 pts.)
- Maximum possible: 10 pts.
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