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Addicted to Plastic cover image

Addicted to Plastic 2008

Highly Recommended

Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Ian Connacher
Directed by Ian Connacher
DVD, color, 85 min. (53-min. version available on same DVD)



Jr. High - Adult
Environmental Studies

Date Entered: 04/17/2009

Reviewed by Carrie M. Macfarlane, Reference and Instruction Librarian for the Sciences, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

This video explores a serious issue that threatens living organisms across the planet, but its most enduring quality is how deftly it avoids assigning blame. Plastic is ubiquitous; it is embedded in all aspects of daily life. We have been using it for years, and virtually nothing can degrade it. If a bottle is not disposed of properly then it will never go away. This film vividly describes the dangers of plastics pollution without promoting bitterness and resentment. All viewers, whether plastics producers or plastics consumers, can feel hope for the future by the time the credits roll.

This is a superb production. It is well-scripted and beautifully filmed, with interesting camera effects including the occasional use of a fisheye lens. Humor, funky music and visual aids such as a wayward cartoon nurdle named “Ned,” make it entertaining to all ages and real-life examples give immediacy to the story. Finding plastic bits in the belly of a seabird is tragic, but finding companies that have developed innovative uses for recycled plastic is uplifting.

The DVD is eminently flexible. It offers not only a table of contents with scene selection, but also two different versions of the film. One version is 85 minutes long and the other is 53 minutes, perfect for classroom use. Subtitles can be turned on for viewers who are deaf or hard-of hearing.

Near the end of the film, the narrator concludes, “It’s not the consumer’s fault, and I don’t think the producers set out to create toxic materials that would never go away.” This is a message we are meant to remember, and it should leave us all with a desire to make a change.

This DVD is entertaining and informative. It is highly recommended for middle-school through adult viewers.

Awards

  • Audience Award, Special Jury Award, Amazonas Film Festival, Manaus, Brazil
  • Runner Up, Environmental Film Audience Award, and Finalist, Overall Audience Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
  • Coup de Coeur Award, Festival International du Film d'Environnement, Paris