Film+Annotation+1

Arunesh Ghosh, Annotation #1 10/20/11 Mother

1. Title, director and release year?

The title of the film is //Mother: Caring for 7 Billion.// The film was released relatively recently in 2011 and was directed by Christophe Fauchere.

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

The film centers around the fact that one of the most crucial, pivotal, yet often times overlooked problem facing the planet as a whole is the current human population crisis. The film attributes many of the most pressing global issues such as poverty, malnutrition, pollution, and overconsumption to our rising and largely uncurbed population. The film also suggests a rather unique solution to the problem through women empowerment.

3. How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?

The argument is made through a variety of different methods. The video itself feature plenty of footage from areas with heavy pollution and populations in conjunction with interviews from subject experts peppered throughout. There is also a mini documentary within the piece following the story of a woman named Beth, who is one of twelve siblings as she discovers in person the problems associated with overpopulation.

4. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?

The film touches on a variety of different issues. There were most certainly some political elements explored regarding government policy in different countries regarding population. Certain countries such as China, have long enforced population control measures while certain European countries are actually attempting to increase their populations. Economic concerns were also addressed showing the link between impoverished nations and overpopulation and the infrastructural obstacles in addressing rising populations. Behavioral and cultural issues were also discussed, particularly the fact that population growth is a highly taboo topic that many governments are still hesitant to take a stance on.

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

The small segments from experts on the topic were the most compelling for me. It truly brought to my eyes the importance of the issue as a whole and how many of our current problems may be directly linked to the underlying issue of population. Expert opinions, though many times almost too conveniently placed within documentaries, tend to have some sort of factual and scientific evidence backing to them which is very convincing to me.

6. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?

I was not entirely convinced by the women’s rights empowerment as the almost save-all of the current population crisis. Though I do fully agree with the overall societal benefits of increasing women’s education and promoting women equality, I am not entirely convinced that will curb the population problem .Many women in countries, even if highly educated, are bound by cultural obligations regarding child birth and rearing. Though I have no doubt if the goals detailed in the documentary regarding women’s rights were fulfilled that we would see some sort of positive societal impact globally, the immediate curbing of the population is not convincing. We have never historically been in a position where women have experienced global equality so we can only hypothesize what could occur and have no solid evidence to prove it would result in population reduction.

7. What audiences does the film best address? Why

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The film definitely addresses feminists and individuals raised in a society with relatively high women’s rights and education levels. The concepts presented are simply not a priority for nations that are experiencing unparalleled industrial growth whose only concern is to feed the capitalist equation of continuous, unsustainable growth. Furthermore many of the underlying tones of feminism would probably not be as well received in more conservative audiences.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps if more of the film was aimed towards the environmental consequences of population growth rather than focusing more Beth’s journey,the environmental educational value would have beenmuch more significant. Because much of the documentary centered around her visit to Africa and observing the impact on a family, the film had more of a cultural and political educational value.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. What kind of action points of intervention are suggested by the film. If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can’t imagine being effective.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The film suggests a very strong correlation between women’s rights and education with reduced population along with a plethora of other possible social benefits. Though there may be some correlation, I am not entirely convinced that that alone will rectify all the problems associated with overpopulation. The film addressed contraceptives and the use modern birth control as almost a no brainer. However, in order for overpopulation to be curbed, more pressure must be applied in the political arena. Countries such as China that are acutely aware of the socioeconomic problems associated with overpopulation have enacted specific legal guidelines regarding birth rates. Though such actions may be perceived as rather extreme in countries such as the United States, it is an issue that must be addressed sometime in the future.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Something rather interesting I discovered was the Google Public data Explorer. It included an interactive graph where u can see what the Earth’s population was at any given point over the course of the past 40 years. You can also view the population in different countries in comparison to the world. The Google Public Data Explorer is a terrific tool with plenty of interesting statistics on fertility rates as well divided up by country. A recent article in The Guardian regarding current population growth was also very interesting and indicated an alarming and completely unsustainable growth rate in population.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">Further Information **

//<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Google Public Data Explorer //<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //Google//. Vers. Beta. Google. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.google.com/publicdata/home>.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Martin, Roger. "Why Current Population Growth Is Costing Us the Earth | Roger Martin | Environment | The Guardian." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> //The Guardian//. The Guardian, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/23/why-population-growth-costs-the-earth-roger>.