Educational Media Reviews Online

Just Do It announces in its opening shot that the “world of environmental direct action has been a secretive one…until now.” The film then proceeds to reveal the actions of several English environmental activists as they plan for and engage in non-violent direct campaigns (“civilized disobedience”) against some public and financial institutions they believe responsible for climate change. The film sets the stage for exploring the broader issues that motivate social protest by showing some examples of how television covers activists clashing with authorities, while the coverage rarely reveals what the conflict is about and even trivializes the participants via condescending remarks by the television anchors.

With liberal access to secret planning sessions and training camps, filmmaker Emily James captures the passion of the participants who reflect on the actions that bring them in conflict with established laws and often lead to their arrests. Just Do It touches on what motivates people to take political action, such as a woman’s concern about a proposed new runway at Heathrow airport in her neighborhood, or young people who see their futures threatened by the effects of climate change.

Beyond the reflexive interviews, this is a strongly visual film. A pulsating musical score, and intermittent graphics complement the film’s coverage of the different tactics the activists use as they confront the Copenhagen Climate Summit with bicycles, a power plant with wire cutters and food-filled tennis balls, and the Royal Bank of Scotland, where some activists chain themselves to the bank’s entrance and others glue themselves to the floor in an effort to close down the bank for a day.

Just Do It does not claim to be offering a balanced view of the issue of climate change. Rather, what it does do is to open a window of understanding about 21st century global activists that is often given brief visual coverage in the media, but whose point of view is rarely represented. The film lives up to its subtitle as it explains why some people become “modern day outlaws.”