Escape from Suburbia - The Movie
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 07. 6.07
Escape from Suburbia is a rich interplay on the subtle relationships between the potential solutions each person faces as the demand for fossil fuels outstretches supply. With issues such as the energy crisis, neighborhood gardens and the collapse of the American way-of-life, it would be easy for the independent film to use its 90-minute running time to whirl into a rant that leaves the viewer shocked and the director sounding like an eco-crazy - but the result of Escape from Suburbia is the complete opposite.
Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream is the second film in a trilogy by director Gregory Greene
that examines the declining world oil production and its affects on American suburban life. The first film of the trilogy, The End of Suburbia : Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream, focused primarily on the science of the Hubbert Peak Theory and Peak Oil with interviews by Dr. Colin Campbell, Julian Darley, James Howard Kunstler and Richard Heinberg.
Escape from Suburbia chronicles the journey of three people (Kate Holloway, Philip Botwinick and Carol Steinman) as they struggle to do what they feel is best within the coming era after Peak Oil. Where The End of Suburbia was direct and brutally honest, Escape from Suburbia is a rich interplay on the subtle relationships between the potential solutions each person faces as the demand for fossil fuels outstretches supply. With issues such as the energy crisis, neighborhood gardens and the collapse of the American way-of-life, it would be easy for the independent film to use its 90-minute running time to whirl into a rant that leaves the viewer shocked and the director sounding like an eco-crazy - but the result of Escape from Suburbia is the complete opposite. The director does a wonderful job with dealing with the complex layers involved with transportation, urban density, local farming, industrial agriculture, over-population, renewable energy and governmental attitudes toward peak oil.
The film has heart-felt and heart-breaking scenes, especially with the story about South Side Farm, a 5. 7-hectare community garden in Los Angeles. Hope springs up as Greene follows Botwinick in his quest to educate the public about peak oil, and then ultimately follows his heart in finding a more sustainable way of life. The film leaves room for the viewer to evaluate if the main characters are making the best decisions in dealing with the knowledge they have about the end of cheap oil. The less direct approach by the second film forces the viewer to chew on the topics, and draws lines to many other environmental issues highly visible in today’s media.
The film, also, makes it clear that time is running out, solutions do exist and that all hope is not lost. Check out the Escape from Suburbia website to watch the trailer, info for select venues and the DVD. It’s one of the best films on the subject and what people can do when it seems nothing can help the problems of peak oil.
I watched it last night. Unfortunately, I need to report that it is goofy, odd, confusing, and has very low production values.
The part about the NYC guy deciding to sell his comic book collection is completely bizarre. What does this have to do with anything?
Also, the couple who is moving to Canada, because Portland OR is not sustainable, WTF??? Portland is probably the most sustainable city in the US, and certainly has the right attitude from those in office. Of course Canada, home of TAR SANDS, is so much better. Oy!
Bummer.
Willy Bio says: "Also, the couple who is moving to Canada, because Portland OR is not sustainable, WTF??? Portland is probably the most sustainable city in the US..."
You have a point. We could have moved from the Portland suburbs into Portland, but I can tell you that West Linn is no more sustainable than any other North American suburb. The movie is about suburbia, not big cities. Once we decided to leave suburbia, we decided to seek a rural location, so Portland, no matter how sustainable as a city, is not so great if you want to grow your own grain and have farm animals.
In our case, there were a number of things that made our decision, and they were not necessarily about suburbia: 1) US national debt is totally out of control, certainly unsustainable, 2) US health care is atrocious if you are trying to live simply, 3) Oregonians were duped by an expensive ad campaign, and passed Measure 37, which renders most of Oregon's world-class land-use laws unenforceable.
Attitude is really important. With the coming energy descent, more people will have to live simpler lives. In the US, there is essentially zero support for that. In the US, you are expected to make as much money as possible. In the US, support comes in the form of "tax breaks," which aren't worth a cent if you don't make enough money to pay taxes. In the US, the most we can hope for with our life-style changes is to be thought of as "poor."
In Canada, we don't have to hand over a third of our $12,000 income to insurance companies. In Canada, our new neighbors admire what we are trying to accomplish. In Canada, the ethics and principles of Permaculture are recognized as worthy equals to the almighty dollar. In Canada, people call us "frugal," rather than "poor."
I have not seen the movie yet. I don't know if it conveys the notion that "sustainability" encompasses more than having a garden. But I believe the US is impoverished culturally, and the energy decline will take a whole lot of cooperation at the community level.
I'm sad to read the comments about production quality. But Greg Greene is on a mission, and is committed to his work, and he was great fun to hang out with. I'm grateful for the opportunity to bring our message to a wider audience.
I really enjoyed the documentary. So much so that I finally purchased land in Northern Ontario to begin my gradual retreat. I don't get that production value comment. It was a documentary. Produced in pure documentary fashion.
I also happen to live in West Linn and I agree that it is not truly sustainable, but there are people here who are working to change that. I'm not naive enough to think that it will look the same as it does now in 5-10 years but I don't believe it's a hopeless cause either. Otherwise I would not be living here either.