20160408 (movie review)

Josh Fox talks environment with Chinese advocate at the Great Wall. 

Played hooky at church this

Morning to meet Peggy at  the

Cleveland International Film 

Festival to see the new Josh 

Fox documentary How to Let

Go of the World and Love All

The Things Climate Can’t 

Change at her invitation. If

You remember Gasland, or

Gasland, Part II, you know

That Fox is devoted to nature

Preservation, anti-pollution,

Anti-carbon economy, avid

Pro-alternative energy enthusiast,

And effective in community

Organizing (and winning)

Against frackers and big oil. 

This ‘round the world trip

To countries resisting fossil

Fuel use and attempting to 

Adapt to the resulting climate

Disasters takes him to areas

Already under climate stress—

From New York’s lower

Manhattan, Staten Island, the

Rockaways, to the Pacific

Island nations, where the rising

Ocean has eroded much of

The inhabited atolls and

Promises to drown them in

A few short years—where

Permanent deleterious effects

Cannot be denied. Included

Is the paradox of China, a coal-

Consuming behemoth whose

Urban air is a hazard to all

Who breathe and a death sentence

For the pulmonarily impaired,

Who is also a leading developer

And world supplier of relatively

Inexpensive solar electric panels.

Fox opens the flick (and closes it

Also) with scenes of him dancing

While the voiceover explains 

That although there is much very 

Bad news there still is some very

Good to be found in the passion

Of the victims resisting the carbon

Onslaught and doing their best to 

Find human joy in working with

Others to save what they can. After

Interviewing a Chinese activist

On the Great Wall Fox tears up

Sensing the weariness that comes

With her resistance against what 

Appears unchangeable and the 

Indomitable spirit she puts to the 

Task. Fox and his crew join with

The peoples they visit in their 

Losses and triumphs which

Sensitively recognizes their

Desperation in the face of an

Existential threat the world

Doesn’t bother to read about.

Cinematically it varies from

Visual treat to the ordinary.

Each section stands well on its

Own, but together they run a 

Little too long even for a true

Sympathizer (and that’s including

The brief section I slept through).

For an environmentalist the film

Is a necessarily grim ride; for 

Advocates it’s chock full of 

Images depicting how bad things

Are right now and how much

Worse they’ll be in the future. As 

Fare to cheer the faithful, I

Thought the inspiration fell short

Of the dire circumstances, 

Sounded insubstantial and preachy

To an old cynic like me.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016