ChrisKerr-Forest+for+the+Trees


 * Title:** Forest for the Trees
 * Director:** Bernadine Mellis
 * Release year:** 2007


 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

This film follows the lawyers of Judi Bari, and environmental activist, in their fight to bring her killers to justice. In her battle against logging companies for the environment, Judi was victim to a suspicious bomb attack in which she was accused of being the bomber, even against insurmountable evidence that it was indeed planted by somebody else. During the film director Bernadine Mellis, the daughter of cicl rights activist and lawyer Dennis Cunningham, follows her father’s battle against the United States government and the FBI in bringing out the truth about Judi’s death.


 * What sustainability problems does the film draw out?**

The main issue the film discusses is the government’s role in protecting the environment. Although it is within the legal rights of citizens to peacefully protest, the government must be there to step in given a potentially violent situation. Judi, a leader in Earth First!, took everybody’s point of view, including those of the logging industry and its workers, to mind when making her protests and pledged never to commit violence. Even though she stayed true to her claim, she received multiple anonymous death threats from what she can only assume was the logging industry. In 1990, her car was bombed, causing her the injuries that would later take her life. No sooner was she taken to the hospital that she was accused of being a terrorist by the police force and FBI. This news hit the media, with the front page of the times stating that an Earth First! terrorist had blown herself up with her own bomb. Although we will never know for sure whether this was the case, the film demonstrates that we can be relatively sure that it was a plot by the FBI to discredit her and her agency. The charges were later dropped because of a sever miscorrelation between evidence to support the claim and actual fact, but the damage was already done. This shows how dangerous the world of politics can be, especially for those fighting for a sustainable future.

Throughout the film Cunningham tries to bring truth to the incident. At 65, Cunningham has a great history of activism, having represented the Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton. In his team are Robert Bloom, another with a history of legally defending civil rights, J. Tony Serra, who represented an SLA member named Sara Jane Olson, and many others whose motives go above and beyond monetary or personal gain. This intrepid team sets out against the largest and most powerful government in the world, and in the end, successfully brings them to trial in the bombing of Judi Bari. The struggle they go through shows the difficulties activists have in battling huge conglomerates with boundless checkbooks in the fight for the environment.


 * What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?**

The most compelling bit of this film was the tale itself. Instead of spouting facts at you or showing you images with the intent of shocking you, the film tells the story of the activists fight against the government. At the end of the film, as the case is finally brought to trial, the emotion displayed by all those involved is tangible. This bit is extremely compelling, as it shows that even though it takes extreme effort and endless hours, one can indeed bring those responsible to justice in our corrupt system. The scene in which Judi gives her testimony is also incredibly moving; despite the fact that she knows that she will never see the trial, she is fighting till the last breath for the reputation of Earth First! and every political activist out there.


 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?**

One of the only things I wished the film had done better was to tell more of the story… but unfortunately the stuff which I would want to know hasn’t yet happened! Another area which the film could have done a better job was in the way it showed the other side of the argument. Although there were transcripts of debates between the activists and the opposing lawyers, a few more interviews of those directly related to the opposing side would have given the enemy a face and perhaps strengthened the movies argument.


 * What additional information does the 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 took me to judibari.org, a website where was updated on the current state of the case against the FBI. Although the website doesn’t look like it’s been updated in awhile, it gave a better insight into where the case is at. Right now, the FBI is considering destroying the remnants of the bomb. Cunningham and his team are working on trying to get them to send it to a lab for DNA testing instead.


 * 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?**

Anybody involved to any sort of degree in political activism or environmental protection would be an excellent audience for the film. This is because it gives hope to all of those out there who would otherwise throw up their hands at such a tremendous task, and shows that those who fight the good fight against all odds can, in some cases, be victorious.


 * What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?**

This film was a call to duty for all those who feel that the environment is under threat to go out there and do something about it. Not only does it show that there are like minded people out there already out there fighting in the streets, but that, on rare occasions they can be successful in altering the world.


 * What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental education value?**

The film did seem a little one sided. Although in situations involving conspiracy it is impossible to give both sides equal weight, as one the situation is pretty black and white, it would have been interesting to see what representatives for the FBI and police departments had to say regarding the situation in further detail.