The Documentary: I Am Greta
The Director: Nathan Grossman
The Story: Documentary follows teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg on her international crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the world's environmental problems.
The Review:
Greta Thunberg is an amazing young woman. Her determination and drive have cause a global movement to bring climate awareness to the biggest political stages. Nathan Grossman's documentary gives us a look into the personal life of Ms. Thunberg, her family, and the impact she has had on the world. The way she acts with those she crosses paths with is quite often magical as she is unfazed by political personalities and does not suffer any dishonesty or inconsistencies from those who claim to support her.
Director Nathan Grossman really does a great job of being a fly on the wall as he follows Greta's journey and I never really felt like he was invasive at all even while just about everyone else in the documentary was vying for her attention, or at least to be seen with her. He also does a great job of showing how politicians across the board basically used her for cheery photo ops and then would denounce her stance and claim it is the unwarranted ramblings of an ignorant little girl once they had literally and figuratively turned their backs on her. They would applaud and cheer her speeches that demanded, not asked but flat out and bluntly demanded, that they look at climate change as something that needs to be addressed now and then they would do absolutely nothing about it.
Grossman also shows the personal struggle of Greta and her family as they navigate sudden fame as well as constant attacks against her and what she stands for from every corner of the world. There are two different scenes that are very distinct and really define what she has gone through over the last couple years. One is a moment with Greta and her father early on where she is reading social media comments about her. as she rattles off different comments, she begins to giggle and then when she sees a post that simply says "F**k Greta Thunberg", she can't but burst into laughter.
Later on in the movie, we see Greta in a moment of solitude while recording her thoughts about her journey and you can tell she is distraught, frustrated, and quite honestly overwhelmed by what she has gone through and even states how the whole thing is too much for her. This right here. A moment where a teenage girl who simply wants to see people treat the world with more respect is pushed so far and so constantly, it has her walking the line of continuing to stand her ground or just completely fall apart. This is what humanity is doing to a young girl simply because she cares.
There is one particular scene that really struck me about who Greta is as a human being. She was sitting with a reporter and the man pointed out that she "suffers from Asperger's Syndrome' and she, after pausing for a just a moment, replied that while yes, she has it, she does not suffer from it. The way she said it and the look on her face also said that while she has to speak to people like him, she does not suffer them either. From the moment she decided to take a stand by striking from school for climate change, by herself no less, to standing in front of the United Nations and declaring the need for change to be made, Greta's primary consistency has been her belief and determination that what she is doing absolutely needs to be done.
The Verdict:
I Am Greta is a documentary you need to see. You will understand both through her words and her actions that our climate is at a breaking point and something needs to be done. Even now, while we are also dealing with a pandemic, humanity needs to look at how we can stop doing damage to our planet so we can then begin the healing process it so desperately needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment