Cieszko+The+Forest+for+the+Trees

1. Title: The Forest for the Trees; Director: Bernice Millis; Release Year: 2003

2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film? The film is primarily about story of Judi Bari, an activist involved with Earth First, who had a major impact on countless lives due to undying dedication. Having almost been killed in an assassination attempt involving a car bomb, which the FBI tried to frame her for, Judi rose above it and continued to fight. It is often hard for activists to stand up for what they believe in due to the power of large corporations and the government who often stand in their way.

3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out? A major problem which is seemingly reoccurring, is that often the government and its supporting groups, the FBI in this case, offer protection to the corporations who are the environmental destructors. This is in stark contrast to the protection offered to those who are trying to protect the environment. In this film, the logging companies were the benefactors of the government protection.

I thought the interactions between the activists and the workers were an interesting series of miscommunication. The loggers feel the activists are a threat to their jobs and are often injured from the practices that some activists use. This causes the loggers to become defensive and often carry weapons. Because the main conflict lies between the activists and the logging companies, this smaller matrix is overlooked, contributing to the problems.

4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? I thought that the way the film was approached was very compelling and persuasive. I became almost “attached” to Judi. By telling her story on a personal level, it draws the audience in and persuades the audience to back Judi and her cause. The fact that an environmental activist was involved in an assassination attempt was a big factor in my interest in her cause.

5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why? I was a little turned off by the fact that the film was directed by the daughter of Judi’s head lawyer. This bias in the movie, although compelling, distracted from other aspects of the movie which may have been important to seeing both sides of the story.

6. What audience does the film best address? Why? The film was directed toward an educated audience with prior knowledge of environmental issues. It did not provide many facts about deforestation, but instead shed light on lumber companies’ practices which are destructive to the planet. The main goal of the film was to evoke strong emotion for Judi and her cause.

7. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental education value? Many of the organizations involved were much more publicized in the 90’s. Because my generation was still young, many of us are unaware of the reputation of these groups. Perhaps a quick background of the major groups involved would help enhance the educational value.

8. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective. The film implies cooperation between activists and the major corporations. Judi made huge advances by meeting with executives in the lumber companies and connecting with them on a personal level. Non-violence agreements helped create positive changes. In fact, she was well respected by these executives due to such conduct. In order for activists to gain the attention they need to bring about positive changes for the environment they must know how to communicate with their audience.

9. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? After watching this film, and as mentioned earlier, I needed more information about Earth First. Earth First is seemingly extremist group of activists who encourage becoming informed about your local issues in order to help out in your area.

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