Educational Media Reviews Online

Microtopia encourages viewers to look at what existing structures might become, and of looking at new ways of living. It studies the mobility of humans, mobile lifestyles, and the possibility of prefabricated and modular micro-dwellings. The film focuses on the desire for smaller, smarter structures created with a connection between inside and outside, often used off the grid, and provides a view into a movement to create personal environments that are away from the norm. Primarily, the film provides insight into the lives of individuals who are trying to recycle products and create their own micro-dwellings, and the larger environmental issues surrounding construction.

Microtopia includes interviews with individuals who are driven by the desire to live a simpler life, as well as artists and architects like Jennifer Siegal and Stéphane Malka, known for their work on prefabricated and modular structures. Their varied perspectives form a comprehensive look into ways in which ecological concerns and recycled products can drive creativity and construction.

Often, the concern for saving the environment is linked to a desire by these individuals to discard material possessions and to live with greater spiritual purpose, coexisting with the outer elements. Modern-day nomads, who feel at home in seclusion and silence, build portable dwellings that make them feel integrated with the earth. Shedding many of the belongings that much of humanity tries to store to preserve memory, these people try to live with a light ecological footprint. Many times, the structures they create use old industrial materials, construction waste and recycled products.

The film focuses less on architectural considerations and the details of construction techniques, and more on the generalities of energy conservation and the desire to live simply. Its emphasis is on the human aspects and attitudes of the people who are passionate about living in a small space, often far from the madding crowd.

The conversations about the connection of philosophy of life and a choice of dwelling will provoke thought on the nature of modern living, full of material possessions and continuous connectivity. An interesting component is how this connectivity has shrunk the need for space, reducing the need of physical storage space by using technology to preserve memory.

This film can spark conversations and ideas on the social and physical implications of living simply, as well as spur creative ideas on how to use existing materials to build new, small, temporary structures.