In the discussion about the climate crisis, we got used to referring to the authorities of great figures such as David Attenborough or Greta Thunberg. In this paralyzing envelope of dread of the impending catastrophe, it is hard to be optimistic. It is equally hard to remember that, apart from the well-known faces of the struggle for saving the Earth, crowds of activists undertake an unequal fight with big capital, the system and the misinformation of conspiracy theories every day. Emmy Award winner Joe Gantz, in his latest documentary, The Race To Save The World, gives the field to these unknown and often nameless heroes – ordinary people who, with their energy and work, are trying to change the world around them.
Although the politicians and those who operate with great capital should take responsibility for the fate of the planet on their shoulders, the real change is brought by the inexhaustible energy of activists, as the director seems to suggest. He portrais those who risk civil disobedience, the comfort of their families, and sometimes their lives as well, accompanying them with his camera during protests and court hearings, showing that fighting from the bottom-up, individual level is not only possible, but also effective.
The Race To Save The World is undoubtedly a film that stands out from the images of the fight for the climate. There is no grim scare with statistics, no reminder that we live in a world, as it might seem, headed for its inevitable doom. Instead, there is energy and inspiration from the actions that the little characters of the film take every day.
One can feel that Gantz’s documentary was not the easiest film to make – it was impossible to show all the spontaneous actions, it was impossible to accompany the characters everywhere and always. The recordings of the protests are thus interspersed with pictures of everyday family life and stories of talking heads, characteristic of American documentaries. Although the American director’s film is undoubtedly an inspiring and positive image, the pace of the narrative at times suddenly slows down, replacing the stimulating bursts of energy with delicate sleepiness and fatigue – which, after all, is an inseparable part of every activist’s life.
The Race To Save The World, despite its uneven pace, presents itself not only as a refreshing and warm image, but also as a much-needed, positive message that shines through like a hope of light at the end of a tunnel.
