A Plastic Ocean – movie review

I walked out of A Plastic Ocean feeling guilty … guilty that I hadn’t given due consideration to a dramatic and escalating global problem. It is one that is choking the planet and causing death and destruction to creatures and bird life in and living off the seaways … and is carcinogenic to humans. I felt guilty having gone to the supermarket ahead of the screening and bought, among other items, bottled water and fruit, then paid for them and carried them out in a plastic bag.

A Plastic Ocean is a documentary that brings to light the consequences of our global disposable lifestyle. Filmed in 20 locations and four years in production, it features an international team of adventurers, researchers and ocean ambassadors on a global mission to uncover the truth about plastic. The proliferation of plastic in recent decades has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are now producing 300 million tons of it every year, half of which will only be used once. Packaging is the largest end-use market segment, accounting for more than 40 per cent of total plastic usage. Five hundred billion plastic bags are used worldwide and their average working life is a quarter of an hour. More than eight million tons of plastic is dumped in the oceans annually.

This outstanding, compelling documentary is not just a dry, factual representation of the status quo. Rather, it spans the globe to put a human and animal face on the impact of plastic. Not only are the narrators – director Craig Leeson and free diver and environmental activist Tanya Streeter – erudite and passionate, but their interviewees are highly intelligent and deeply motivated. That comes through in every frame.

The doco combines alarming, at times deeply distressing, footage with graphics and written explanations on the screen. Hidden camera vision is used to make the point that most even so-called healthy food outlets don’t provide healthy choices when it comes to packaging. It starts out seemingly innocently as Leeson tries to track and tell the story of the planet’s largest mammal, the elusive blue whale. Suddenly, we are taken aback by the debris that is apparent in what should be a pristine environment.

Clearly, an enormous amount of research has gone into making this picture … a great deal of thought into how best to illustrate it and develop a case. For, make no mistake, that is what is succeeds in prosecuting. It builds layers and plastic – a virulent pollutant, a choking hazard, an intestinal strangler … ultimately, in many cases, a doomsday machine – is undoubtedly the villain in the firing line.

After throwing the kitchen sink at the issue, the feature changes tack and highlights the positives of what is being done in some places to remedy the problem. Still, if you pardon the pun, it remains a drop in the ocean, considering the magnitude of what is shown. You should … no, you must see A Plastic Ocean and you, like me, will walk away caring a great deal more. The time to save the planet and those that live on it is now and each of us has a role to play. Rated PG, A Plastic Ocean scores an 8 to 8½ out of 10.

Director: Craig Lesson
Release Date: 23 March 2017 (limited)
Rating: M

Alex First