The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream

Gregory Greene's interesting documentary The End of Suburbia focuses on a severe and unforeseen consequence of the post-WWII rise of suburban sprawl: the ‘burbs' reliance on automobiles and home heating fuel has created an increased dependence on oil. As anyone who even briefly scans today's headlines knows, the addiction to fossil fuels has helped spur an environmental disaster that may yet also bring about economic chaos. The film combines an amusing array of vintage shorts that highlight yesteryear's infatuation with suburban culture, together with a more serious lineup of talking head experts who speculate on where North America may be heading if severe measures are not taken to reverse the current trend (this is a Canadian production, hence its reference point of North America, rather than the United States). In addition, the documentary takes a strong and somewhat strident position against two over-hyped alternative energy solutions: ethanol and hydrogen (which waste more energy than they create during production). The End of Suburbia lacks the slick production values of An Inconvenient Truth (and Canadian journalist Barrie Zwicker is a rather stiff onscreen host), but it successfully raises troubling points about dysfunctional energy usage and the lack of a viable solution on the horizon. A fine companion piece to the similarly-themed A Crude Awakening (VL-11/07), this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)