Solastalgia, the new short film from award-winning director Millefiore Clarkes’, takes a look at the impacts of climate change, but, rather than spreadsheets full of projection models and stats, Solastalgia grapples with the human cost: the sense of impending doom that weighs heavily on our souls and the guilt that comes from knowing that we created the society that enabled it.
Without wishing to sound alarmist, I am alarmed. We’re sitting here in the wake of yet another destructive hurricane and there are people still on the fence about anthropogenic climate change. There are people who consider good environmental practices to be a topic for debate in the next election, something that will affect the price they pay at the pumps rather than a basic survival instinct.
An Inconvenient Truth, the documentary by David Guggenheim about former American Vice-President Al Gore’s efforts to educate people on climate change, came out 13 years ago. It’s not as though we haven’t had time to let that sink in and correlate the data. So, as Solastalgia asks, “Are the messages getting through?”
Clarkes takes a different tact from most documentaries – and why not? After all, we’ve been presented with all the science we need. Experimentally employing stock footage, Clarkes shows us another side, and hopefully one we’ll finally take note of. She presents the world around us: what we have at stake, and what are we prepared to lose?
Working with former Halifax poet-laureate Tanya Davis, Clarkes tells the story from the from the perspective of a young mother; voicing the concerns and hopes she has for her children and their future, while Davis’ performance simultaneously reminds us that there’s no deus ex machina at the end of the rainbow.
Solastalgia questions if we’ve gone so far as to displace ourselves as a species, removing ourselves beyond the functioning parameters of our existence, or if that, by default, is human nature and, like a bunch of goldfish, doomed to max out the capacity of our living container through capitalism and consumerism.
“I know that we are in a complex situation,” says Clarkes. “There have been great benefits gained for many, globally, derived from capitalism. And I cannot here argue the finer points of various political systems. I do know one thing: we cannot take infinitely from a finite system. We are at a tipping point.
“We have become so disconnected from nature and its awesome interconnected nuance that we have become arrogant. We think technology will save us. It cannot. We are merely human animals. Our imagination and our potential is limited by our biological reality. We have to listen. Shut up. Pay attention. Be humble. That will be the first step towards a better future.
“On the other hand, maybe the human animal is an arrogant one. I wouldn’t fault an ant for doing what an ant does. Why, ultimately, should I fault humans for wanton consumption? I have a dash of fatalism sprinkled throughout my hope, I’m afraid. Animals don’t always know what’s best for them. Animals go extinct. Ecosystems go extinct. It’s a thing that happens. I just want us all at least to say it out loud to one another. Because if we can admit it maybe maybe we can respond in time. Maybe.”
But if human nature has brought us this far, going gentle into that good night seems unlikely. There will come a rallying, or so we’d hope, likely when we’ve finally been burned too badly and scared ourselves into action. As Clarkes says, the way forward may not be through our individual actions, but through heavy legislature.
“Simply stated,” says Clarkes. “I’d say governments must act swiftly. Disentangle themselves from corporate interests. Invest in big scale green energy and small scale organic farming like their lives depend on it (because they do). Pass laws banning plastic and the production of frivolous crap. It’s not up to the individual. People recycling is nice, but it’s a scratch on the surface. It has to be systematic change. Like WW3 is on our doorstep. Because it is. But how to get governments to do these things? We seem to be moving in the opposite direction.”
Clarkes says that she hopes Solastalgia creates an impact through community screenings and panel discussion that leads to action.
“I’m working on strategizing an impact campaign that can reach people outside the film circuit. Because that’s the point of this film. It’s my attempt to make a small difference and not feel so frantic. And if we can talk about our feelings maybe we can reach beyond political divisions to the place where we’re all humans.”
As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. While our industry might not be ready to accept that, Solastalgia’s fresh approach might be silver bullet necessary to reach a new audience.
Heavy on imagery, the film allows for quite a bit of interpretation instead of going straight at the matter. Combined with Davis’ poem, the point hits home with a message that’s more emotional than cerebral, and in that regard it leaves a lasting, and arguably more impactful, impression.
“Torches and pitchforks would be more appropriate. I’m just not quite ready to admit that this is war,” admits Clarkes. “My personal life is too comfortable. We lost a tree in the hurricane yesterday but that’s about it. Once the flood waters are at my door then I suppose I’ll put down the camera and pick up a pitchfork. Or a bucket.
“Art matters. It really does. And if this film doesn’t change anyone else’s mind it at least has helped me deal with my own anxiety and sense of futility. We must rise up and sing in the face of the uncertainty of life. That is a very human thing to do.”
Solastalgia will be premiering at the Atlantic Shorts Gala at the FIN Atlantic Film Festival which takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia between September 12-19, 2019. For more information visit them online.