Educational Media Reviews Online

With the appropriate hash tag, #ReGENERATION examines how the philosophy of individualism and the influence of advertising and consumerism have made young people apathetic. Along the heels of the Occupy Movement, this film urges young people to get involved in addressing a world in crisis.

#ReGENERATION explores the “me generation” from the opposing ideologies of U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and the lost focus on the future, the community good, and the environment. The winning selfishness of individualism and the message that “nice guys finish last” appears to have descended into a systematic dependence on consumer goods and a pervasive media environment ruled by advertising, corporate sponsors, and greed.

The film touts Ryan Gosling as the narrator and a soundtrack by the band STS9, whose members also provide commentary. However, the real features of the film are the interviews of a group of teens and appearances by a number of scholars and activists, including Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, and Talib Kweli. The film raises a number of important questions: How has consumerism influenced the youth generation’s identity? How homogenized is American culture? How will our society’s alienation from nature affect the future? Have we lost view of history? This film has the potential to inspire today’s youth. The final message is very positive: even small actions can have an effect – so do something!

While #ReGENERATION is most likely to resonate with teens, this film may suffer from generalizations and assumptions. If young people are so apathetic, where did all those young supporters of the Occupy Movement come from? How does one stereotypical young family speak for a whole generation? What does this band have to do with all this? The film also seems aimed at too broad of an audience, and it may elicit a resounding “meh” for older viewers. It is also not particularly appropriate for younger children, and some images of violence and death are proximate to the worst of television news.

All in all, this is a well-made and interesting documentary on an important subject for young people and would be a useful educational tool in a high school social studies curriculum to address how to be an engaged and socially responsible individual in modern society. #ReGENERATION is recommended for all general middle and high school libraries.

Technical note: The screening copy was in English only with no subtitle or other language options.

Awards

• Seattle International Film Festival 2010 Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature
• Artivist Film Festival 2010 Award for Artivist Spirit Best Feature