DVD Review

Title: Surviving Progress

Directed By Mathieu Roy, Harold Crooks

Cast: Stephen Hawking, Margaret Atwood, David Suzuki, Jane Goodall

Studio: National Film Board of Canada

Length: 86 mins

Release Date: February 3, 2012

Reviewed By Ian Gregg

Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks make a bold entrance to 2012 with Surviving Progress, a well-paced documentary that shakes us awake and into global awareness. Inspired by Ronald Wright’s bestseller A Short History of Progress, the film reminds us that it’s easy to forget about the world’s challenges and limits while enjoying the bounty of a developed country. Supported by a well-spoken cast of experts from a world-wide variety of expertise — including our own David Suzuki, Ronald Wright, and Margaret Atwood — the film sheds light on a holistic view of our world in flux by considering economic, environmental, historical, and technological aspects.

Just one of over 15 interviewees, Michael Hudson an economic historian, dissects a history of debt from Rome’s conquest of owing nations to the current global economic collapse. He parallels oligarchy of the past that ran Rome’s charade to our current political and corporate landscape. Elements that contributed to popular revolt and revolution in former societies appear to bubble up into our own backyard. As Wright reflects on a bathroom wall scrawl, “Whenever history repeats itself, the price goes up.” The ark of human history, and so-called advances in society, come to life with countless combined cinematographic views, examples, and archaeological evidence.

Filmed on location in four countries, the documentary depicts separate nations’ goals and characterizes the individual’s struggles within those societies. The broad point of view highlights the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s cycle of debt crises, the consequences of China’s quest for a higher standard-of-living, the West’s audacious consumption and the effect it all has on our world. Enio Beata, Brazilian sawmill owner tells his story of dependence on the rainforest and the farce of Brazil’s economic and political scene against the backdrop of his workers being forced to find other employment. “The biggest farmers are senators, deputies, colonels. They’re the ones destroying the Amazon forest. Them. Not us.” Each speaker supports their points with engaging scenes and contemporary examples.

The facts the film lays out contribute to the major theme of progress traps. Roy and Crooks use their interviews to promote the idea that a line of progress is perfectly fine until we can progress no further. Wright emphasizes, “The difference between good progress which improves quality-of-life, contrasts against bad progress which can threaten the very existence of humanity.” A haunting score helps this idea loom over us as shots of time-lapse road construction, strip mining, and high rises overwhelm us. As early man improved their hunting methods until the extinction of their food sources we, with a brain that has developed only subtly more, now face similar problems that affect us on a global scale.

The weight of this film and the ideas it proposes fractal under the microscope. It’s not all doom and gloom like most documentaries in the genre offer. Instead of cutting off the film to emphasize our race’s despair, the film presents optimism. As Jane Goodall closes, “When humans have their backs against the wall they work exceptionally well together.” Our past present and future collide in this homegrown documentary feature. A conversation starter that will last well into 2013, Surviving Progress gives us a reason to get ourselves to the cinema, as soon as possible, in a sustainable fashion.

Written by :

Gregg