The+Forest+for+the+Trees-+Pringle

1. Title, director and release year? The Forest for the Trees, Directed, produced and edited by Bernadine Mellis, 2005

2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?

Narrated by the daughter of a civil rights lawyer the film follows the lawyer representing civil rights activist Judi Bari versus the FBI. Bari and a friend were in a car when it was bombed, the FBI and other investigators claimed and arrested Bari on the grounds they planted the bomb themselves. The charges ended up not sticking, and there was a civil case. This movie is about the proceedings of the civil case and what it meant to the surrounding people. This also touches on the problems and issues faced by activists and who they are against.

3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?

The film challenges the integrity, independence, and objectivity of our justice and governmental organizations. The dismissal of Richard Helm (FBI agent) and the delay of trial of a sick woman until after her death are two examples of questioned technicals of the justice system. Judi's decisions to take the FBI to trial after they dismissed charges from her are very radical and certainly unexpected by the FBI. The delay of trial is a common technique used to dismiss cases as well as desensitize cases. The idea that fighting for sustainability is difficult, and there is little tolerance for change is an additional problem brought to light. This is because when ever money is to be lost there will always be resistance.

4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? I found Judi Bari as a person very persuasive and compelling she was able to offer personal/intimate interviews with her dad. The emotional and personal journey she embarked on was very moving from her going to talk to loggers although she wanted to stop them at no point did she want to hurt them or sabotage them. After she passed away it was extremely satisfying to see they ended up winning 4.4 million. Her persistence I found most extraordinary.

5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? I was not as compelled as much by the scenes with Judi's understudy. Scenes for her radio show and the "group meetings" where she would argue with everyone became somewhat annoying and repetitive.

6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.? This film makes me want to seek out other injustices that have occurred and the amount of sheer time and money these victims have spent to set the record straight. A great movie that reminds me of this is “Flash of Genius” movie that talks about inventor of intermittent windshield wipers that were wrongfully stolen by Ford Motor Company.

7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems? The film is very inspirational because it addresses single individual taken on a whole system. The film attracts to people who are all about sticking it to the system and political savvy viewers. It is also a great example of perseverance and shows a long struggle to achieve justice.

8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film? The film gave little to no points of intervention, however it does suggest characteristics such as perseverance and will are necessary to accomplish large tasks. This methodology should be encouraged when striving for change.

9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? The film certainly does not touch upon environmental sustainability yet I am not so sure if that matters to me. The content was interesting enough on its own that it opened my eyes to organizational and systematic sustainability. Other examples of injustice may have been opportunity to support the material and give different perspective. Top of Form

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