documentary series review
Our Planet
Directed by: Alastair Fothergill
Narrated by: David Attenborough
Majestic views, dazzling imagery, mesmerizing natural spectacles … Our Planet is absolutely gorgeous.
It is also very traumatizing.
The nature documentary that arrived on Netflix earlier this month aims to take a look at the impact of the changing world on various life forms, but along the way it takes a few questionable turns.
Clearly years of work have gone into the creation of this visual masterpiece. Over the course of 8 episodes, the series takes you from frozen worlds to lush jungles to stunning waters, showing how animals live in these diverse habitats and revealing the effect that climate change is having on their lives. And it’s a rewarding journey well worth taking.
Seabirds carpet-bombing the ocean; hundreds of flamingo chicks walking across a saltpan; parent penguins making their way back to feed their babies; narwhals trying to find a passage in the ice to swim through … there is no shortage of amazing footage of wildlife in its natural habitat.
But just as you are mesmerized by the fascinating natural imagery and the comfort of David Attenborough’s familiar voice, something absolutely heart-wrenching invariably happens.
It’s brutal. It’s uncomfortable. It’s also unnecessary.
The fact that nature is cruel isn’t a revelation; we don't need to see a documentary to learn that.
And the fact that we have caused so much damage to this planet which is in turn causing harm to animals is an important but familiar message.
The documentary is most likely to be watched by nature lovers, who already know how tough things are for animals and who are already trying to make a difference. So many of us have seen more than enough of harrowing footage. Those who are empathetic enough to care and find such images distressing don’t need to be traumatized further.
People who couldn’t care less about nature, on the other hand, won’t be interested in this documentary anyway. And it’s not like watching or experiencing animal pain and brutality has an impact on people anyway. Watching animals being slaughtered hasn’t turned us into a planet of vegetarians. Watching stray dogs being shot in our neighbourhoods hasn’t caused any outrage.
Plus, it doesn’t help that some of the claims the documentary makes are being scientifically disputed. The by-now-infamous walrus scene, attributed to climate change in the documentary, is instead being linked to polar bears by zoologists.
Whether the filmmakers were misguiding us intentionally or not, they were clearly trying to emotionally manipulate us, which is a tactic that upsets the softhearted and simply doesn’t work on the hardhearted.
Following the uproar about the inclusion of some of the upsetting scenes in Our Planet, Netflix has issued a content advisory so that viewers aren’t blindsided, which is a move in the right direction. If you do think you gain something by watching nature at its harshest, then you can watch Our Planet in its entirety. If you don’t think you have to see this suffering to know or care about it, then you might want to skip those parts. This should ultimately be the viewer’s choice.
Our Planet does get the point across regarding climate change and the human impact on nature, but it’s a point that most of us already know and the rest of us will still not care about it no matter how many walruses plummet to their deaths on screen. Instead of going for shocking images of tragedy, the documentary could have made even more impact by tugging at our heartstrings with more tact.
As you make your way through @OurPlanet, here are some moments animal lovers may want to skip:— Netflix US (@netflix) April 10, 2019
One Planet: 16:04 - 16:43
Frozen World: 16:29 - 17:47, 32:50 - 33:45, 48:45 - 51:00
Fresh Water: 26:10 - 27:09
Deserts and Grasslands: 28:45-29:10
High Seas: 37:42-37:52
Our Planet does get the point across regarding climate change and the human impact on nature, but it’s a point that most of us already know and the rest of us will still not care about it no matter how many walruses plummet to their deaths on screen. Instead of going for shocking images of tragedy, the documentary could have made even more impact by tugging at our heartstrings with more tact.
No comments:
Post a Comment