When Is the Race Really Over?

Read Time:2 Minute, 57 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Race to Save the World

Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 2021
Director: Joe Gantz
Where To Watch: Available via VOD and on www.theracetosavetheworld.com

Regularly, we’re confronted with doomsday scenarios about the planet and the minimal amount of time it has left. Constant reminders about the fragility of the world we call home and how little we as a society can do to help change that. Joe Gantz (TAXICAB CONFESSIONS) directs this film that doesn’t focus on major players but on people doing their part to make a change.

Ultimately, these people won’t make the change needed, but they know that they can go to sleep having fought with their heart and soul for what they believe in. In a world filled with threats of nuclear war, climate change seems to take a back seat, and while that’s somewhat understandable, it's also heartbreaking. I have a soft spot in general for documentaries; I don’t think any feature film can tell a story that is more enduring to me than what a well-made documentary does.

Unfortunately, there are people across the world who don’t see climate change as being anything they need to worry about. Reasons range from them knowing it won’t necessarily be their problem to them just flat out not believing it’s a real thing. Whether you believe in it or not, you can’t argue simple facts, CO2 levels have been on the rise, global planet temps have been on the rise, ocean temps have been on the rise, and the list goes on. These changes may seem minor, but they're vital for an ecosystem that is as delicate as our own.

I’m not here to preach about climate change; nothing I say within a simple film review will make you change the way anyone looks at it. I’m here to talk about a film that talks about it and in such a unique fashion. The entirety of the film focuses on families and their struggles with the legalities of what happens when a family member speaks up and acts against known issues. Protesting is legal, and while hundreds of thousands protest companies and agencies each year, these individuals take action to the next level to try and get the attention of those they’re speaking out against again. They do so in arguably safe ways but also taking it a step beyond protests means that they’re likely breaking other laws from trespassing to more severe charges. Gantz shows us the challenges these individuals face when their battle escalates from paper signs in the streets to the courtroom.

Ultimately the deciding factor for this film and my views on it was that the story wasn’t just anti-corporation but gave us a why, faces to that why, and reasons that we should care. Too often, stories are told that focus on a bigger picture, and in turn, we miss out on that connection.

A huge thanks to MPRM Communications for allowing me to view this moving documentary.

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