THE LAST FOREST PREDICTS AN END TO THE AMAZON FOREST
The point of The Last Forest (Ostatnia Puszcza) appears in titles at the end, which point out that gold prospecting and ore mining are driving the Indigenous population from ancestral lands in Brazil near the border with Venezuela. Although their land was protected by the government in 1992 following massacres involving at least 15,000 Yanomami, prospecting resumed after the election of President Jair Bolsanaro elected in 2019.
Directed by Luiz Bolognesi, the film focuses on an older shaman, Davi Kopenawa (playing himself), who spends time reminding the few surviving members of his Yanomami nation of the myth of the origin of Yanomanis and how much freer his people are compared to those who live in the consumeristic world of White people. He notes that areas of the Amazon are drying up, streams and their livestock are being poisoned with mercury by invaders, and armed clashes often occur with the local population outnumbered. He even delivers his message in a talk at Harvard University. Much of the film provides images of the forest and how the Yanomani live their lives by hunting and enjoying a peaceful life. Women making baskets, however, seem alienated. Largely absent from the cast of characters are men in the prime of their lives; according to Kopenawa, they are surrendering to a life of exploitation that resembles slavery, something that Kopenawa experienced personally when he was younger.
The Political Film Society has nominated The Last Forest as the best film of 2021 on human rights as well as best film exposé of 2021. MH
PEEPAL TREE PREDICTS AN END TO TREES = END OF THE HUMAN RACE
When the film begins, a man (played by director Kranti Kanadé) is annoyed that government officials (police) living nearby are cutting down trees on his land. Not until the very end of Peepal Tree is the screen filled with examples of trees that have been cut and left in a morgue-like condition throughout Pune, a town in India. Between the beginning and the end, a variety of beautiful trees are pictured, including banyan and of course the sacred Peepal, the tree under which Buddha, while meditating, attained his enlightenment.
A verbal confrontation with police leads nowhere: The man accuses police of violating the law by cutting down trees, and police claim that he has violated the law by planting trees on government property. Ultimately, the man locates a tree activist (Vinay Sharma), who has gone to court to stop tree cutting, and they try to mobilize local residents on behalf of their cause. But there are not enough court cases to stop massive tree slaughter to make way for shopping malls.
During the story, based on actual events, many wise statements are made. For example, one person notes that trees are claimed to stand in the way of “development,” but true development is an increase in rational behavior. Another comment is that government is for 10% of the people and not for the rest. Trees not only bring food and shade but nurture an ecosystem of animal life, food, fresh air, healing, and water while removing CO2 from an endangered planet.
The Political Film Society has nominated Peepal Tree as best film exposé of 2021. MH