This is the film that started the Transition Movement and so I felt compelled to watch it. At first I thought, ‘This is not going to be relevant, it is all about American suburbs and we've not designed our cities in the same way’. And, I have to admit, if I hadn’t heard that this film had been such an eye-opener for many people, I might have pushed the eject button at this point.
However, I kept watching and slowly began to see why it might have made such an impression. The message came across loud and clear; the ‘experts’ have known about the problems of ‘Peak oil’ for decades but, for whatever reason, they have either not been believed or our governments decided to keep it a secret. Why do they do that? Are we not to be trusted with the truth? I get so angry when I hear how information is manipulated or hidden. In fact, our government is still acting as if peak oil is a figment of someone’s imagination.
The film does have a very strong message but I found it dull watching. Expert after expert...
So, this film warns us what might happen if we don’t do something and tries to frighten us into action. The latest film in this genre is ‘The Age of Stupid’ which presumes that we ignored all the warnings that The End of Suburbia is trying to give us and shows the consequences. I have not yet seen this, I believe quite depressing film, but for a couple of different and interesting reviews see here and here.
