Ken Ward is a figure in the global-warming controversy who refuses to be a mere concerned bystander. Ward’s background work includes Ralph Nader’s public-interest research groups and Greenpeace. Shocked and stupefied at the lack of action against the fossil fuel industry, Ward—in the name of protecting future generations—participates in "monkey wrench" sabotage and public protests (sometimes alone, sometimes with cohorts) that border on trespassing. Ultimately, this divorced single father winds up in a Washington state courtroom, financially depleted by legal fees (albeit supported by his son and girlfriend), but unapologetic. Ward also insinuates that he is being blackballed in the activist-advocacy employment field and thus has no recourse but to break the law. Another filmmaker might have questioned some of Ward’s actions tied to his all-consuming fear of a warmer planet, but producer-director Lindsey Grayzel is clearly on the same team (she was also arrested along with Ward in a protest). In a crowded field of big-picture climate-change documentaries, this title focuses on the determination of individual activists more than arguments regarding science. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
The Reluctant Radical
(2018) 77 min. DVD: $50 ($125 w/PPR): public libraries; $295 w/PPR: colleges & universities. DRA. Collective Eye Films. Closed captioned. Volume 33, Issue 5
The Reluctant Radical
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