Finite: The Climate of Change (2022) was an unusual film for RCC – we don’t usually have documentaries as main features. Rich Felgate’s film gives us a powerful insider view into two battles between communities, activists and fossil fuel corporations. It has the message that direct action can bring about change.
Our discussion group was boosted by local members of the Green Party, Extinction Rebellion and Mothers’ Rebellion. A Climate and Nature coalition had brought everyone together.
The discussion group agreed that this was a tough film to watch, although there was a surprisingly optimistic ending. It changed our perspective about what we as individuals can do for the environment. The amount of force used to tackle the protesters shocked us. The filmmaker’s position as a trusted climate activist gave a unique insider view.
We valued hearing from the local climate change protesters who had joined the discussion. They told us about the importance of events to create publicity, so the issue is constantly in the news. We heard their perspective that protesters were gentle non-violent people, who feared the extinction of humanity. Their actions were a response to the extreme global situation. They felt that no-one was too small to make a difference.
A good observation was made about the context of the film. This was about local plans to mine for coal. The German community had witnessed the “biggest hole in Europe” on the edge of an idyllic forest and created treehouses to defend the last 10% of trees. The British activists occupied the Pont Valley, creating a camp in bad weather conditions, protecting the wildlife. Would we be more active if the destruction of nature was on our own doorstep?
We showed the film on Rusthall’s Bonfire Night and it was interesting to hear that only kiln or heat-treated natural pallets were used this year. As one of our discussion group said, “It takes many drops of water to make a rain.”
Anne.
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