Photo: Josh Knight
June 2006 | Art & Soul
Film Reviews
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Directed by Chris Paine, narrated by Martin Sheen
Opens June 2006
I am in love with an EV-1 electric car. It’s sleek. It’s fast. It’s eco-friendly. It’s everything I want, but I can’t have it. And that sucks.
That was how I felt after seeing Who Killed the Electric Car?, the powerful, thought-provoking and surprisingly emotional documentary about the first electric cars and the dubious factors that contributed to taking them off the road.
I was surprised at my reaction, having expected a Michael Moore style, overtly political film that would enrage me by telling me something I already know. But Who Killed the Electric Car? is a project more in the style of What the Bleep Do We Know? than Bowling for Columbine. It has its bias, sure, but it isn’t fanatical; it relies on facts, theories and real information instead of theatrics.
It does seem, though, that the film could have been tighter. Certain sections drag and there’s some redundancy. The whodunit format seems a bit forced and the graphics lack panache.
But none of these weaknesses are deal breakers. It’s still a compelling story, told with remarkable restraint. It’s also brilliant marketing for the EV-1.
— Molly Freedenberg
An Inconvenient Truth
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Featuring Al Gore
Opens May 24 in selected theatres
Al Gore is back on the campaign trail, and this time it’s for the planet. After his defeat in 2000, Gore began stumping for the environment, sharing scientific evidence that shows Earth heading towards a global warming catastrophe. So inspired were eco-activist Laurie David and movie producer Davis Guggenheim that they developed Gore’s speech into the film An Inconvenient Truth.
Although not likely to receive an Academy Award, Gore gives a commanding performance imbued with compassion, humor and deep concern about a “period of consequences” from outdated technology. He can’t help taking potshots at the Bushes, but An Inconvenient Truth isn’t a political documentary. Nor is it properly categorized as drama, despite intimate details about Gore’s childhood years on his family’s Tennessee farm, his controversial election defeat, and the traumatizing car accident that nearly killed his young son. It’s surely not a comedy, even with animated cartoons and an abundance of one-line zingers.
If scientific projections cited in the film prove correct, it’s almost certain to be a tragedy, which is what propelled Gore into action in the first place. Since his message is meant as a wake-up call to the rest of us, perhaps the best description of An Inconvenient Truth is that it’s an action film — but not a typical blow-’em-up, heist-the-money. The call is for action of a different kind, and if we don’t respond, we’re liable to lose our most valuable treasure.
— Jenny Rough
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