TOP 100 ACTOR SITES
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| The Road brings fictional ecological disasters into the here and now | Ed Gillespie WALL-E was endearing and Avatar epic, but The Road is an eco-film we can more humanly relate toThere's an iconic scene in The Road, the brilliant film of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer prize-winning novel that hits cinemas today, involving a can of Coke. Viggo Mortensen's character, referred to simply as "the man", prises the beverage from a dusty, wrecked vending machine for him and his son, "the boy", to share.They've been slogging their way across an equally dusty and wrecked landscape in the aftermath of an ambiguous environmental catastrophe. It's the first "food" they've had in days. As the boy takes his first ever sip of the fizzy drink, you can feel the audience tangibly empathising with him.It's poignant as it's maybe one of the few scenes viewers can directly relate to in a world of bleak despondency turned horribly upside down: perpetually grey skies, the rumble of earthquakes underfoot, distant fires roaring on the horizon and a total absence of organic life.The Road is the latest in a recent wave of films with a strong environmental theme. These range from the Simpsons Movie, in which Homer's characteristic ineptitude leads to a series of eco-disasters in Springfield; to Disney's cute but effective take on waste and over-consumption, WALL-E, to James Cameron's ruthless resource exploitation versus biodiversity and indigenous blue-skinned aliens 3D Hollywood blockbuster, Avatar.These films all represent very different approaches to our environmental challenges. The Simpsons, like forthcoming Brit-flick Beyond the Pole, about the first organic, carbon-neutral and vegetarian polar expedition, uses deft satirical humour to highlight eco-hypocrisy. WALL-E appeals unashamedly to the kids, but is still a provocative film for adults to watch too.However, it's Avatar that is probably the most populist and effective story about the complex messages of biological interdependence and corporate responsibility. Possibly the first "eco-epic", it takes environmentalism to a whole new audience through its its heroic protagonist, an ex-marine turned eco-warrior. No wonder rightwing commentators in the US absolutely hate it.While it's one thing to engage audiences on the ethics of mining activities on a hypothetical planet in the distant future, it's quite another to connect this back to the present. And this is where The Road has real visceral power. Scenes like the oneI mentioned are brutal reminders of the thin skin of society on which we skate.There is something deeply haunting about the unflinching portrayal of human nature in The Road that is either pessimistic or realistic, depending on your viewpoint. McCarthy's intended the book as a meditation on mortality (he is 76 and has a son of similar age to the boy in the story). His narrative is about personal demise and the subsequent fate of those we leave behind. But it also works at the macro level as a survival warning to our species if we don't take action the environmental challenges facing us.• Ed Gillespie is the co-founder of Futerra Sustainability CommunicationsClimate changeViggo MortensenCormac McCarthyEd Gillespieguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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