Manufactured Landscapes

I watched a fascinating documentary called Manufactured Landscapes the other night. in this film, the filmmaker documents various manmade landscaped ranging from factories to mines. The opening sequence is an eight minute long walk through a Chinese factory, in which you never get to either end. While this is going on, the voiceover describes the purpose of the movie, which is to show how humanity has altered the landscape and created industrial landscapes, and to do this without judging or making any claims as to the good or ill of these developments.

The claim is patently ludicrous for anyone who cares about the planet. Ten minutes into this hour and an half long movie, I was ready to vomit. The scale of the destruction and harm shown just in this factory was unbelievable. Over the course of the movie, the filmmaker takes you to many other places: a shipbuilding yard in China and shipbreaking beach in Bangladesh, an open pit mine and an oil field. The places are incredible and unbelievable. They are horrifying and sickening, yet hold your interest all the same: just like watching a wreck occur. You might want to turn away, but somehow you just can’t.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone concerned about the status and the future of our planet. But be warned: it is not easy to watch.

It is available on Netflix.