Educational Media Reviews Online

Environmental films are sometimes bleak and saddening because of the scale of the problems they examine. The film Elemental is different. It takes a personal approach, profiling three activists who feel driven to take action on issues of global and local importance. These people are doing something, and so can we.

Eriel Deranger is an aboriginal Canadian trying to slow the extraction of oil from the tar sands of Northern Alberta. Rajendra Singh is traveling across northern India to convince communities to clean up the Ganges River. Jay Harman is an Australian entrepreneur seeking investors to fund a device that he believes will slow global warming.

Why do these people do what they do? Ms. Deranger says that after years of experiencing friends and family dying of cancer, she wouldn’t feel right not doing something. Mr. Singh is a former government official who is acutely aware that 60% of his country’s drinking water comes from the Ganges. Mr. Harman grew up as a solitary child with nature as his only comfort. He now has faith in its restorative capabilities.

The film shows the actions taken by these individuals, their challenges, and their moments of success. It moves along at a brisk and efficient pace with vivid imagery and a well-crafted narrative. The film doesn’t hit us over the head with overt biographical, social, or scientific details; rather it weaves in just enough content to let us observe and absorb the path of each story on our own.

The personal approach and the aesthetic sense of Elemental leave a lasting impression. It is highly recommended for junior high through adult audiences. All viewers will be thinking about this film long after the credits roll.