Movie Analysis Essay on Dirt! The Movie

Introduction

Dirt! The Movie is a documentary film that came to screens in 2009 and was directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow. The filmmakers were inspired by the book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth by Bill Logan (Toland, 44). Prominent environmentalists were featured in the documentary. They included Wangari Maathai, Bill Logan, Paul Stamets, and Gary Vaynerchuk. This film explores the relationships between soil and human beings; including the impacts by society and the necessity for life. The film has several awards to its name including the 2009 award of "Best film for our future" at the Mendocino Film Festival (Toland, 44). This short essay analyses the main themes in the film Dirt! The Movie.

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The planet Earth is the only of all the planets that inhabit life. It consists of a breathing 'skin' that forms over a long period of time. This documentary explores this 'skin' of the Earth, and the connection between this organic substance and all of the living things, humans included (Smith, 30). Dirt! The Movie employs a combination animation, on-camera statements, and live footage, in explaining the essence of dirt as the fountain of biological life, and its position in religion, and cultural beliefs and practices.

According to the documentary, dirt is responsible for life on the planet. The dirt itself is full of life and gives life. Only a small portion of dirt, a handful, would contain microorganisms with billions in population. The film centralizes on the main concern, of how we are caring for this treasure. The experts in the film stress that humans need to replenish the soil once they draw it for any of their needs. The concern to this is the evident widespread mistreatment of the soil all around the globe. Daily, there is blasting of mountains in search of coal, application of chemicals as pesticides and fertilizers in farms, opening up large areas of land for suburbs and cities, and clearing up forests for farming, just to list a few (Weil, 805). The experts point that human activities have led soil degradation, which directly leads to environmental pollution, which leads to other negative effects, climate change.

Human misery follows environmental decline. The film stipulates that this has particularly escalated in the developing world. Many parts of the world have been condemned to desertification due to deforestation and soil erosion. The increasing deserts have led to increasing in competition for arable land. As a result, there is increased rural-urban migration, which brings the problem of settlement in the cities (Yartey, 47). This is how slums spring up and swell.

Dirt! The Movie goes ahead to point that many social ills are a result of a lack of care to the soils. Lack of enough arable land would render many people jobless in the farms, making them engage in atrocities such as thievery (Weil, 805). Also, when people migrate to the cities for lack of farms, they end up crowding, which is an automatic recipe for social evils.

The documentary also acknowledges some individuals who have done their best to bring solutions to the mistreatment that is caused to the soil by humans. In Mali, Pierre Rabhi, a France nationality, was recognized for his teachings to farmers on agroecology that would help them reclaim the barren land. Alice Waters of California earned a mention in the film after she started the Edible Schoolyard project that would help the children to get acquainted with the responsibilities and joys of farming their own food (Smith, 30). Another young New York State former urbanite also got an accolade for creating a Hardy Roots Farm that would supply city dwellers with organically grown food. Lastly, in Kansas, Wes Jackson alongside colleagues of the Land Institute were recognized because of their work and research on breeding perennials into some crops, an effort that would see conservation of the soil.

Central to the messages passed by the film is that there is a lot to be done as far as conserving the soil is concerned. Conserving the soil would need a concerted effort of everyone. The efforts would need humans to change their behavior on how they approach this precious substance. Human beings would need to stop excavating the soil in search of fuel, whose value cannot march the treasure that is soil. People would need to insist on safe, naturally grown food (Toland, 56). Most significantly, people should converge their powers and efforts towards the reclamation of already degraded soils.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Dirt! The Movie is a classic reminder to human beings and all dwellers of the earth of the significance of the topmost layer of the earth's crust. It is true that this 'skin' nourishes life. It is home to uncountable microorganisms. It is essential for the growth of plants. Humans and other animals entirely depend on it for food. The well-being of the environment and the climate depends on a well-conserved soil. In summary, people not only need to protect, recognize, and appreciate the soil, we also ought to embrace our relationship with it! The film integrates the main concern, of how we are caring for this treasure. The documentary also explores this 'skin' of the Earth, and the connection between this organic substance and all of the living things, humans included. The professionals highlight that human actions have led soil dilapidation, which directly leads to environmental pollution, which leads to other negative effects, climate change.

Bibliography

Smith, Gai. "This land, our mother [Book Review]." EarthSong Journal: Perspectives in Ecology, Spirituality and Education 3.1 (2015): 30.

Toland, Alexandra R. "Dirt Dialogues-An Exercise in Transdisciplinary Integration." Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 41.1 (2016): 44-60.

Weil, Ray R. "The Soil Underfoot-Infinite Possibilities for a Finite Resource." Soil Science Society of America Journal 80.3 (2016): 803-804.

Yartey, Franklin Nii Amankwah. "The Rhetorical Potency of Storytelling: The Narrative Role of the Hummingbird in the Green Belt Movement." The Rhetorical Legacy of Wangari Maathai: Planting the Future (2018): 47.