Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie 2012
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Laszlo Barna, Tracey Friesen, Sturla Gunnarsson, Yves J. Ma, Steven Silver, Janice Tufford
Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
DVD , color, 93 min.
Jr. High - General Adult
Biography, Biology, Environmental Studies, Science
Date Entered: 07/11/2013
Reviewed by Wendy Shook, Science Data Librarian, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VTHumans are a force of nature, and yet we are only a link in an interconnected web of nature confined to the biosphere of a tiny planet. As our population explodes, it is even more important that we become aware of and responsible for the enormous impact of human activity on that fragile web. In this film, David Suzuki describes how “we are the environment” – and warns how our actions impact the ecology of our world, and consequently ourselves.
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie is an award-winning documentary about David Suzuki, a research geneticist, educator, and iconic Canadian environmentalist. The movie weaves segments of Suzuki’s “Last Lecture” with a video documentary of his personal history. Born in Vancouver, BC, on the eve of World War II, David Suzuki has not only witnessed, but participated in, the explosion of scientific knowledge over the past half century. The social and cultural events that shaped his life and legacy are a metaphor for the complex interconnection between actions and effects in nature.
David Suzuki is a compelling and sincere speaker who makes scientific concepts accessible. The film uses storytelling, scientific discussion, and gentle humor rather than shock tactics to convey its message, and therefore moves at a thoughtful pace. The cinematography of the personal history segments is beautiful, but occasionally suffers from choppy “home movie” effects, which can be distracting. These segments are interleaved with lecture footage and historical film clips. It is overly long for watching in a single class, but it could be segmented by chapter to stimulate a series of classroom discussions. The film sometimes touches briefly on topics that might not be appropriate for younger audiences, so Force of Nature is recommended for junior high school, high school, and academic libraries.
- Awards
- 2011 Director's Guild of Canada Team Award
- 2011 Leo Best Cinematography in a Documentary
- 2011 Toronto International film Festival People's Choice Award
- 2010 Vancouver International film Festival Most Popular Environmental film