June 13, 2023
FILM: ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINE WILDFIRE
DIRECTED BY: TRIP JENNINGS
NARRATED BY: DAVID OYELOWO
RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
As I started writing this, the East coast of the United States was blanketed by the fumes associated with wildfires consuming large portions of Canada. It’s creating eerily dystopian-looking skies, not to mention plenty of health hazards. Most of us aren’t familiar with the forest fires in our country to the north and we certainly aren’t used to their effects here in the U.S.
There have been a number of films which seek to show and explain the devastations associated with the wildfires that have destroyed so many acres in the western sections of our country. One of the best is the Ron Howard directed Rebuilding Paradise which explores the attempts to rebuild Paradise, California after horrible wildfires in 2018. Now comes Elemental: Wildfire Reimagine which goes a step further by examining why such devastation occurs and what we can do to prevent it. While the former film spends a good amount of time showing the horrifying footage of communities engulfed in flames, director Trip Jennings limits that focus. We see some of that Paradise footage but Jennings appropriately moves on from this by beginning to explore what can be done.
The film is narrated by British actor David Oyelowo who helps makes the documentary a more serious and intellectual scientific pursuit than a voyeuristic piece for those seeking the latest images of destruction. Oyelowo has a very calming but matter of fact style which seeks out answers rather than sensationalizes this subject. Interviewed are firefighters and residents who have been affected by recent California and Oregon fires. Perhaps more significant are the researchers and scientists who look at these disasters in ways we don’t typically hear about in the media.
Jennings uses interviewees who aim to set certain records straight, such as that 98% of forest fires are put out by fire fighters. It’s the other 2% that create the horrific devastation that has been so reported upon in the last decade or so. It’s noted that most fire departments are not equipped to handle the fast-moving, widespread wildfires that have hit our west coast. The film doesn’t place blame but rather looks to examine how our relationship to fire has changed. Native Americans, for instance, have traditionally embraced fire to manage the brush that often fuels large fires. Yet, many who follow their methods have been prosecuted for starting these fires. What the film suggests is that there is a way to control the spread of wildfires by using fire. That bit of detail is well-articulated by various scientists in the film.
Similarly, Jennings and his interviewees explore the phenomenon of reducing that which fuels fires and how the thinning of forests and brush doesn’t always keep homes from being destroyed. Rather they illustrate various experiments in thinning closer to homes and using less flammable materials on homes being built. None of this is ever presented in a way which is overly complicated or technical. Yes, there are various discussions of carbon and embers that may be a bit perplexing to the less scientific in us but these never take away from the overall picture of possible solutions being presented here.
Jennings explores some of the new ways of looking at fires and how, for instance, they can have a positive effect on nature, particularly the animal kingdom. It’s quite compelling to see and hear how birds and bears use destroyed forests. Ultimately, Jennings makes a great case for changing our approach to wildfires. He suggests that before we think about how to put them out, we need to consider how they are a natural part of our environment and why we might need to change our relationship to them.
Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire begins streaming on AppleTV and Google Play today.
FILM: ELEMENTAL: REIMAGINE WILDFIRE
DIRECTED BY: TRIP JENNINGS
NARRATED BY: DAVID OYELOWO
RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
As I started writing this, the East coast of the United States was blanketed by the fumes associated with wildfires consuming large portions of Canada. It’s creating eerily dystopian-looking skies, not to mention plenty of health hazards. Most of us aren’t familiar with the forest fires in our country to the north and we certainly aren’t used to their effects here in the U.S.
There have been a number of films which seek to show and explain the devastations associated with the wildfires that have destroyed so many acres in the western sections of our country. One of the best is the Ron Howard directed Rebuilding Paradise which explores the attempts to rebuild Paradise, California after horrible wildfires in 2018. Now comes Elemental: Wildfire Reimagine which goes a step further by examining why such devastation occurs and what we can do to prevent it. While the former film spends a good amount of time showing the horrifying footage of communities engulfed in flames, director Trip Jennings limits that focus. We see some of that Paradise footage but Jennings appropriately moves on from this by beginning to explore what can be done.
The film is narrated by British actor David Oyelowo who helps makes the documentary a more serious and intellectual scientific pursuit than a voyeuristic piece for those seeking the latest images of destruction. Oyelowo has a very calming but matter of fact style which seeks out answers rather than sensationalizes this subject. Interviewed are firefighters and residents who have been affected by recent California and Oregon fires. Perhaps more significant are the researchers and scientists who look at these disasters in ways we don’t typically hear about in the media.
Jennings uses interviewees who aim to set certain records straight, such as that 98% of forest fires are put out by fire fighters. It’s the other 2% that create the horrific devastation that has been so reported upon in the last decade or so. It’s noted that most fire departments are not equipped to handle the fast-moving, widespread wildfires that have hit our west coast. The film doesn’t place blame but rather looks to examine how our relationship to fire has changed. Native Americans, for instance, have traditionally embraced fire to manage the brush that often fuels large fires. Yet, many who follow their methods have been prosecuted for starting these fires. What the film suggests is that there is a way to control the spread of wildfires by using fire. That bit of detail is well-articulated by various scientists in the film.
Similarly, Jennings and his interviewees explore the phenomenon of reducing that which fuels fires and how the thinning of forests and brush doesn’t always keep homes from being destroyed. Rather they illustrate various experiments in thinning closer to homes and using less flammable materials on homes being built. None of this is ever presented in a way which is overly complicated or technical. Yes, there are various discussions of carbon and embers that may be a bit perplexing to the less scientific in us but these never take away from the overall picture of possible solutions being presented here.
Jennings explores some of the new ways of looking at fires and how, for instance, they can have a positive effect on nature, particularly the animal kingdom. It’s quite compelling to see and hear how birds and bears use destroyed forests. Ultimately, Jennings makes a great case for changing our approach to wildfires. He suggests that before we think about how to put them out, we need to consider how they are a natural part of our environment and why we might need to change our relationship to them.
Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire begins streaming on AppleTV and Google Play today.