The 11th Hour

I’m not sure what I expected when I went to see “The 11th Hour,” but it wasn’t a lecture with Leonardo DiCaprio acting as the transition from topic to topic. The film does manage to intersperse images of arid wastelands, polluted oceans, deforested areas, melting icebergs, etc. among the various scientists, environmental experts, ‘green’ gurus and even an ex-CIA chief. However, the organization of the content requires the audience to listen closely to one talking head after another. And the images flit by so quickly if you weren’t listening to the lecture, you might miss the connection. I did appreciate that directors Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners (sisters) included some concrete solutions to the problems they present. We are all aware that we have not been effective guardians of our natural resources and “The 11th Hour” presents a solid case that we are running out of time. There are certainly steps that each of us can take to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. (9/3/07)