Saturday, September 19, 2009

NO IMPACT MAN (Documentary)

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Although it can easily be dismissed as AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH meets SUPER SIZE ME, the documentary about NYC based author Colin Beavan's year of "living simply" separates itself from the pack. Unlike many of the eco-disaster films that will be part of a 2009 bumper crop, NO IMPACT MAN has a distinctly human element at its core. Beaven is the one who initiated the project to have his family reduce their consumption for an entire year but his wife, Michelle Conlin, is the real star of the film. A senior writer for Business Week who is a self-described caffeine junkie and shopaholic, Conlin struggles with the abrupt lifestyle change. She gets plenty of screen time and serves as a glass-is-half-empty counter to her husband. This film may be preaching to the converted at times, such as when Beavan watches garbage trucks converging on a Bronx neighborhood, but it is at its best in the moments when longtime activists ask Beavan if his project is only a publicity stunt. This lends an introspective and humble element to the journey, one which doesn't scold the audience, buts lets them choose their own path. (2009, 93 min, BlueRay Video) JH - Cine-File.info

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