Reviewer: Dexter Kong
Rated: N/A
Release Date: July 15th, 2011 (UK)
Director: Emily James
Just do it is an observational documentary that follows Climate Change activists, in a claim of a never before seen look of the inner workings, focusing on the groups Climate Camp and Plane Stupid. It is a very emotive subject, well at least in the form that it managed to raise some response from myself, but mostly of the head shaking kind. This documentary comes across as a fly on the wall in it’s most basic form. Unfortunately it is neither insightful nor is it a revelation of these people, never managing to gain any true rationale or purpose behind these individuals or why they are choosing to do certain things. None of this “exceptional access” seems to go beyond what a standard news report interview can achieve, save for us seeing the groups talk about what kind of criminal sentences they can expect and practicing disruption techniques such as locking themselves together; cut moments later to the people locking themselves together at a bank.
But rather we are left with wistful remarks about how they are apparently doing this for the greater scheme of things; “anti-capitalism“ is a thrown about constantly by the activists, it would be justified if an alternate system were possibly mentioned, but nope anti-capitalism is the caused of climate change, one of the activists muses. Surely they speak of a more liberal capitalism though. There is a rather irony to it all as there is an inherent oxymoron, as they protest in their suits and north face jackets. Boo to the rich. Boo. They are arguing without solutions, at least this much is conveyed.
These people are of the belief that this is a film in support of anti-climate change, when actually it focuses purely on the anarchistic methods of protest. There is a moment where you genuinely do see people doing something for the community by helping tidy an abandoned allotment, but this is far few and in between. I guess in a claim of “modern-day outlaws” it’s more about the rebellious nature of it all. The subject matter almost seems to be in a constant flux of nothing being achieved.
It was deeply saddening that they used footage of Ian Tomlinson being knocked to the ground as some sort of message to support their agenda to vilify police as a generic evil entity. All press reports, that Tomlinson took no part in the G20 protests and was an innocent stander by. I felt that nothing was gained from watching this but an alienation of myself from the subject matter.
In a documentary I look for something which will offer me insight in to the subject matter and perhaps just interesting characters, these elements for me were lacking in Just Do It. There is the feeling that given to a more seasoned director, possible something more interesting and thought provoking would have bared its fruits with a better structured narrative; but we are left with a documentary that is a halfway house between a how to video and a smug self pat on the back. Oddly enough the title they have adopted is the iconic Nike slogan and not in an ironic way.
Just Do It is out this Friday in select cinemas and will be released eventually after that online for free distribution.
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