Earthlings (film)

Earthlings is not an easy movie to get ahold of. When I first heard about it even Amazon didn't have an affordable, readily available copy and the Netflix waiting list was more than I could bear. All this trouble for a movie that has been out since 2003. Thinking it would be well-recieved in the Bloomington community I decided to request that MCPL purchase it. Some months later I was pleased to see it sitting on the holds shelf for me at long last. 

The film is a documentary directed by Shaun Monson and narrated by the handsome and capable Joaquin Phoenix. The film posits the notion that there are three primary life forces on our planet: nature, animals, and humankind, so called the earthlings. Proceeding from this setup it is basically a professionally assembled animal rights film set to music by Moby. 

The film primarily takes a critical look at the industrialization of meat production and factory farming. The core of the film deals with the manner in which animals are used for food, though it also touches on animals used as pets, clothing, entertainment and for research purposes, emphasizing the negative qualities of each. In this sense, the content is pretty simple and straightforward. 

I wanted to see this film because I've been engaged in the process of setting for myself an appropriate food consumption philosophy. It's no easy task because I'm not quite willing to eschew animal products altogether (assuming this is really possible), but neither am I willing to pretend the issue is not deserving of my consideration. I should be careful not to lapse into a full-scale discussion of dietary ethics here as I've written a lot about my opinions to this end in other forums and this is only a corollary topic, not my present focus. The point is that this type of critical thinking is what led me to the rather acclaimed Earthlings. 

It is an intense film. If you decide to see this it you will be disgusted, angered and sad, at times all at once. You will almost certainly cry. It is also a film with a clear bias and it is obvious that the reaction the creators want is for the viewer to succumb to the gut reaction to immediately commit to being a vegetarian after watching this film. Truthfully, animal rights and animal welfare issues are incredibly complex and there is no simple way to resolve the conflicting feelings one has after being presented with this type of information.

In is worth noting, however, that the "humankind" and "nature" elements of the tripartite equation are almost completely ignored here. It seems to me that the purpose would have been better served if the films creators had endeavored to promote a system of balance. Rather, they'd prefer humankind just up and go vegan or, at the very least, vegetarian. Every effort is made to subvert the opinions of those who would tout pescetarianism or similar alternatives as doing some measure of good. Little effort is made to admit the human suffering inherent in various forms of consumption. Both humankind and nature also suffer at the hands of humanity's desire for food, entertainment, clothing, shelter, and the like. The focus of the film is actually tilted heavily towards the animals. However, one assumes that simply calling the film Animalkind was less desirable. 

This is not to say that it is not a worthwhile film. All of us could stand to be reminded of the manner in which our food and clothing are brought to us, that is, the true source of these oft taken for granted items. Factory farming does, after all, take advantage of sentient beings in ways that we would often prefer to ignore. The negative health implications for humans resulting from the mechanical treatment of animals as demonstrated in this film are reason enough to think twice about what we buy and why, but the film definitely goes beyond this. Personally, I think that what is made quite explicit in Earthlings is something that we are all aware of on some level, but would rather not think hard about because it is easier not to. Still, one can approach this content with a critical mind and emerge with a balanced opinion. Watching the film I felt like taking some extreme steps myself, but in the end my reason prevailed and I resolved to continue with a more balanced approach. 

This is not a not a film for a casual evening with the family and it is not something you'll want watch while eating dinner, but it is powerful and very provocative. It also succeeds in handling the subject matter in the most artful way possible. One must be mentally ready to see this film, but appropriately approached it can be sufficiently thought provoking. It isn't the whole story, but it is a good addition to the conscientious consumer conversation. Afterwards I made sure to say goodnight to all three of my cats one by one. It's that kind of movie. I recommend it, but be prepared.