Future of Hope by Henry Bateman

Humans are lazy and comfort-seeking beings. That’s the sad truth about our nature. Yet a documentary by the tandem Henry Bateman (director) and Heather Millard (producer) is trying to draft a possible reunion of mankind with Mother Nature through an Icelandic eco-expedition.

Future of Hope, such a joyous title, reminds us about the dark side of capitalism and egocentric human behaviour. Many people have learnt that living on credit is definitely a bad idea, but sometimes you can’t avoid it in the era of fast consumption. Iceland is no exception: in the claws of modern Moloch (the banks) a lot of people are receiving tons of documents as a monthly memento of still rising debts. Several organizations in Iceland are trying to find an escape from this dead end of monetary dependency. Bateman and Millard provide a peek into possible and probable solutions applicable in a wider territory. However, everybody must start on their own doorstep.

We are introduced to the global problem in a classical investigative style - a.k.a. talking heads juxtaposed with cinematic postcards of Icelandic natural resources (erupting volcanoes, falling waterfalls, jolly puffins, etc.). The filmmakers not only concentrate on the issue of consumerist lifestyles, but present a broader perspective covering socio-economic and political themes. Bateman picked only a few dominant topics, such as the development of sustainable organic farming, renewable energy from alternative sources and education. The message of the film is clear enough: we must change our current life paradigm to be able to survive successfully. The concept of this documentary however is to dig a bit deeper, exploring for example a couple of the implications of a return to an agricultural way of living. Although to extend the durability of mankind, organic farming is certainly the wise choice.

The filmmakers, like their Icelandic leading protagonists of an alternative way of life, are not naive. Future of Hope is not a cry to arms, but a kind of pedagogical inspiration, a spark of eco-illumination. This is also illustrated by the uplifting outlook on our uncertain future. The whole documentary is surrounded by an optimistic aura, underlined by an effective and enjoyable original feel-good soundtrack. Besides, the anticipation of the finally not-so-bad situation is also outlined in some jolly opening Monty Python-esque animations. The film serves its purpose, albeit in a rather sentimental spirit. Don’t forget: Watch locally, think globally, act domestically.

By Martin Kudláč