Canadian co-directors Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky, the makers of 2006's Manufactured Landscapes and 2013's Watermark, join forces with Baichwal's husband, cinematographer Nicholas de Pencier, to examine the ways humans have altered the natural environment. This use and abuse of the planet's resources has led some scientists--but not all--to declare that the Holocene has given way to the Anthropocene or Human Epoch.
The filmmakers divide their film into seven chapters: Extraction, Terraforming, Technofossils, Anthroturbation, Boundary Limits, Climate Change, and Extinction. Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) provides the narration, locals explain the impacts of industrialization on their communities, intertitles indicate locations, and Rose Bolton and Lorah Norway’s meditative score ties things together, but dramatic imagery communicates the message most effectively.
Taking advantage of carbon offsets, the filmmakers traveled to 44 locations in 22 countries, making extensive use of aerial photography, which shows the patterns created by extraction. The locations include cities and special administrative regions, like London, Houston, Lagos, Hong Kong, and Venice, but they spend the most time in less familiar places, like Kenya's Nairobi National Park, Chile's Atacama Desert, Michigan's GM Lithium Battery Assembly Plant, China's Gudong Sea Wall, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Florida's phosphate mines, and Siberia’s Norilsk, Russia's most polluted city.
Salar de Atacama, for example, has historically been a major supplier of lithium for various uses, like pharmaceuticals and aluminium, but Chile has had to increase production in recent years in order to keep up with the demand for cell phone and electrical vehicle batteries. Though drivers flock to EVs for the environmental and conservation benefits, Atacama's sulfur-yellow evaporation pools, which necessitate hazmat suits for workers to enter, don't look especially healthy.
And in Germany, farmers in Immerath have lost more and more of their coal-rich land--in addition to 19th-century cathedrals and even cemeteries--to widespread coal production, just as British Columbia has lost more and more oxygen-producing forests to logging, part of a larger reduction worldwide. As Vikander explains, humans have developed over 75% of all ice-free land through mining, urban growth, and other uses. We've also used or degraded 85% of the world’s forests.
The film ends with a look at critically and functionally extinct species, from okapi to axolotl, all or most due to human activities, like poaching and pollution. The facts may be dispiriting, but the images can be quite beautiful, and sometimes even psychedelic, particularly a sequence in which a train-mounted camera, at high speed, appears to spin through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland and as underwater plants in Indonesia’s Batu Bolong Reef vibrate and glow.
The end titles encourage understanding and awareness, though other speakers in the film encourage appreciation for what we have and for what's possible, like the botanists growing pesticide-free vegetables in a decommissioned London air raid shelter. As one of the mine workers in Norilsk says, "You see beauty in a flower..a flower that’s bursting through the stone."
What academic subjects or university courses would benefit from this environmental documentary?
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch is an outstanding resource for courses in environmental science, geography, geology, sustainability, climate studies, ecology, and environmental ethics. Through breathtaking cinematography and a global survey of industrial landscapes, the documentary encourages students to examine humanity's impact on Earth's ecosystems from both scientific and artistic perspectives. It also lends itself well to discussions in anthropology, urban planning, and documentary filmmaking, demonstrating how visual media can communicate complex environmental issues in ways that complement traditional academic texts.
Why should public and academic libraries include this environmental documentary in their collections?
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch combines spectacular visuals with compelling scientific and cultural perspectives, making it an excellent addition to collections focused on climate change, conservation, and contemporary environmental issues. Public library patrons interested in nature documentaries and global affairs will appreciate its accessible exploration of humanity's changing relationship with the planet, while academic libraries will find it valuable for interdisciplinary teaching and research. Beyond its educational merits, the film stands as a remarkable work of visual nonfiction, inviting viewers to reflect on both the beauty of Earth's landscapes and the consequences of human activity.
Enjoyed this review? Subscribe to Video Librarian today for access to over 40,000 pages of film resources tailored for librarians, educators, and non-theatrical audiences.