Toronto Uncovered

On September 21^st , 2009, the global premier of The Age of Stupid starring Pete Postlethwaite was presented in 32 countries around the world. Tickets for this sold out event at Toronto’s Royal Theatre, were by invite only.  I was fortunate enough to be among the lucky people in the audience.

For those that don’t know, The Age of Stupid is a documentary about climate change. It takes place in 2055 as a survivor (Postlethwaite) describes how changes global temperatures (and the events which caused them) resulted in  resource scarcity, war, and ultimately the end of civilization. Postlethwaite depicts a world where New York and London are underwater; most of the land that remains is torched desert; the polar ice caps are nothing more than a sea of blue; billions are dead due to war and famine; and those that do remain seem to be located in enclosed futuristic modules.

Viewers are taken through snippets of interviews and stories outlining the events leading up to this reality. A hungry aviation entrepreneur in India, a student in West Africa, and an oil and gas researcher in the USA are among those describing their vantage points.

One phrase comes to mind after seeing this film: “Shock and Awe”. The movie does a great job in depicting the message: ‘Do something now or face peril’. The image and message are so shocking that it really leaves one wondering how stupid our collective humanity can be  (hence the title). The movie had such a profound influence on my guest that after the show she came out and said, in a teary voice, “I think it’s selfish for me now to have children now.”

What makes the movie scary is that even though it portrays the worst case scenario, it may not be that far off. It is in the realm of possibility. For decades, scientists have been pushing worst case scenarios of climate change. The Age of Stupid does a great job of capturing the intensity and reality of these scenarios on the big screen.  I’m not sure how probable it is that 2055 will look  the way Pete Postlethwaite describes it, but I can tell you that just by scanning news headlines from the past 5 years,  scarcity of resources (oil & water), and increases in the number of environmental refugees and disasters is an absolute reality. In many ways the movie does give the message to viewers that you are stupid if you don’t realize we are living this reality today !

One big criticism I have about the movie is that it is too much of a “doom and gloom” scenario. There is absolutely no portrayal of hope. We are simply, as a species, going consciously make ourselves extinct. ‘Greed and selfishness will eventually conquer generosity and benevolence’ is an underlying message. Prior to the commencement of the film, a man stood up and gave a small speech (not sure who he was or the title). He said, “if there is one thing to take away from this movie, it is hope”. Well, I missed the boat on that one buddy. I have to say that this movie is the furthest thing from hope. This is, from all the ‘end of the world’ type films out the, the ultimate dooms day movie!