Below is a blog written by Jenna Garland of the Southern Energy Network. Like her, I had conflicting thoughts after seeing Avatar (as well as a queasy stomach from the intense 3D action). I wonder if people realize that this destruction and greed is happening in our world today. Too bad Avatar didn’t win, I wonder what the director would have said about the film’s message. Joe Letteri, the Visual Effects Supervisor for Avatar, said in his acceptance speech: “To everyone watching, thank you for the great appreciation you’ve shown for our film. And just remember the world we live in is just as amazing as the one we created for you. Thank you.” Our world is amazing. Do people realize it is just as threatened as the world Avatar created?
While visiting my parents recently, my mother treated me to a 3-D showing of Avatar at a theater close to where I grew up. I went in with a fair amount of trepidation. I’ve been following the media coverage of the film, as well as conversations between friends and colleagues who had seen it in the weeks follow its premiere. I was feeling very nervous about the racial dynamics of the film, and though I’d heard many people describe the film as very pro-environment, I wondered how pro-environment a blockbuster movie could be; how much can its themes and messages really challenge the status quo of our fossil fuel-powered society?
After two and a half hours of pure visual spectacle, I left feeling a mix of emotions and with a ton of thoughts running through my mind. I felt angry. I felt very angry.
I felt angry that the Na’vi people needed an American to save them. I felt angry that the Na’vi people needed an American to save them from Americans! I felt angry for the truth at the heart of the action: the single-minded focus on profits over people and the environment, and the price indigenous people have paid for centuries.
The single most impactful moment for me was when the Head of Security, Colonel Quaritch, said Continue reading