The Age of Stupid is the new movie (three years in the making) from director Franny Armstrong (McLibel) and producer John Battsek (In the Shadow of the Moon). Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
Covering the topics "climate change, oil, war, politics, consumerism and human stupidity", The Age of Stupid was shot on location in America, UK, India, Nigeria, Iraq, Jordan and the Swiss Alps over a period of three years. It features six separate documentary stories, archive footage and animation (from, amongst others, the creators of the Gorillaz animations). Soundtrack includes songs from Radiohead and Depeche Mode.
Visit www.ageofstupid.net.
This should be compulsory viewing for anyone with a genuine interest in the future of this planet.
Although interesting in its content, this could have worked better as a straight documentary.
Like other activist documentaries, may face putdowns from those who find it insufficiently sophisticated or consensual. But it deserves a hearing. To mangle a well-known phrase: Rome is burning and Franny Armstrong is fiddling the right tune.
A thread of needling gallows humor runs through “The Age of Stupid.” Near the end of the film the Archivist wonders: “Why didn’t we save ourselves? Was the answer that we weren’t sure we were worth saving?” He may have a point.
There is no denying the passion of director Armstrong, whose McLibel documented the David-and-Goliath struggle between fast-food giant McDonald's and environmental activists Dave Marsh and Helen Steel. But the film loses focus at times, in particular in its concentration on small domestic action.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 20th Aug 2009.
Release date: August 20th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
