One Day on Earth

This stunning panoramic documentary, assembled from footage shot on October 10, 2010, by volunteers around the world, is a sweeping celebration of Earth and its people, organized by topics such as children and family, music, marriage, poverty and crime, animal life, religious practices, and military conflict. Captions indicate where specific filming took place, while titles offer demographic facts and statistics in line with each general theme (e.g., “On 10.10.10, 130,000 couples were married.”). In a typical sequence, a whirlwind of images looks at food preparation, transportation, commerce, and trash accumulation and collection in several countries, after which a shot of a field filled with discarded rubber tires gives way to sound bites from TED Talks about fossil fuels and sustainability (an onscreen title adds, “On 10.10.10, 350.org mobilized over 7,000 events in more than 180 countries to reduce carbon emissions.”). Following quick visits with people working on several similar projects, the mood shifts in a segment featuring Australia's Bondi Icebergs, who are a cheerful bunch of winter swimmers. While serious issues are addressed, much of the footage presented here is simply astoundingly lovely, and often humorous or whimsical. Highly recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $295 from Ro*co Films Educational, www.rocoeducational.com.] Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)