Wild Things
Image: Frontline Action On Coal
Wild Things, directed by experienced environmental documentarian Sally Ingleton, is a sound overview of the ongoing climate change activism movements in Australia, and an engaging recount of the country’s storied eco-warrior past.
The film tracks the course of action of several groups throughout 2019, leading into Australia’s hardest bushfire season yet in early 2020.
Though limited in its scope – focusing predominantly on the genesis of Australia’s Schools Strike 4 Climate movement in Castlemaine in rural Victoria, the Save The Tarkine group staving off the logging of Australia’s biggest rainforest, and the nationwide Stop Adani campaign – Ingleton’s profile of these groups is deep and satisfying.
For viewers already engaged with these movements or causes, the film offers little beyond a closer examination of these group’s organising approaches, non-violent occupation techniques, and some insight into the lives of their key leaders.
That said, the empathetic view of these movements is inspiring, and uses the hopeful message of “Be the difference” to leave viewers with no doubt that the cause of climate justice is one worth fighting for.
★★★
Reviewed by Patrick McKenzie
