HigginsHeatherAnnotation9

The film “Human Footprint” by Nick Watts was released in 2007. This film shows how much is consumed by just one person from birth through adulthood. There was a lot of data and statistics thrown at the audience. This is not the best way to address the topic of human waste, but overall the visuals were quite effective.

The first product addressed was diapers. Diapers are worn for the first two years of life, and even if disposable diapers are not used the amount of water used to wash reusable diapers is incredible. The average American is responsible for more carbon emissions in the first year of life as someone from Tanzania will be in a lifetime. The film moves onto the amount of milk drank in a lifetime. At this point the babies grow to toddlers, who eat solid foods.

The next few numbers given are lifetime amounts of pork, chicken, eggs and potatoes. After these, bread is discussed. The average person eats 4,376 loaves of bread in a lifetime. To go with this is hotdogs and hamburgers. The film gives the amount of candy eaten by each person a year on average. There is an interesting bit about cocktail cherries. These cherries are brought in from Italy, bleached, re-colored, sweeteners are added and then they are bottled and sold.

The children now grow to teenagers. Bananas, soda and showers are all assigned amounts with visual aids. The teenagers become young adults starting off in the working world. They are buying clothing and creating trash. They are drinking beer, 13,248 in a lifetime. The two children depicted are now planning a wedding, on average this will cost $26,000.

The new couple now buys a house and the appliances to outfit their new home. The film discusses the effect of holidays. More food is consumed and gifts are given. The average American receives 900 holiday gifts in a lifetime.

The film then moves on to transportation: cars and airplanes. This leads to discussing how much natural habitat has been lost to expansion for different wildlife. The couple is now elderly and going to the doctor more. The average American swallows 37,320 pills in a lifetime and will know 1,700 other people.

This film is appropriate for anyone willing to sit through almost two hours of numbers. The person watching the film becomes numb to the statistics and focuses more on the visuals of a lifetime of eggs and oranges. While visually appealing the film was lacking in any sort emotional tie to the story or characters.