The problem of plastics polluting our oceans can’t be overstated. Whether we’re learning a new statistic about more plastic than fish in the water by 2050 or seeing the photos of the animals that are most directly impacted, there is always a new angle of the story to be told. So the global non profit Plastic Oceans set out to make a film that could be the definitive voice of that story, with two explorers going on a 4-year journey to witness the full scope of the problem.
“The biggest message of this film is that everyone, everywhere, was sold a dishonest marketing concept: that we could use plastic, throw it away and it would be gone forever,” director Craig Leeson said in an interview. “And what we want everyone to understand is that there is no ‘away.”
“Plastic is the most durable material man has ever made and every piece ever produced is still on the planet in some shape or form. Given that we are producing more than 300 million tonnes a year, you can see how that is building up in to a problem that is going to affect our planet, other species and our the health of each one of us.”
So what’s different about this film? While we all do indeed care about the animals in the ocean that are effected by plastic pollution, the reality hits a little closer to home when the effect on mankind is involved. The film explores how larger plastics break down into microplastics and work their way through the food chain, eventually posing a threat to us.
The film’s other host, free diver Tanya Streeter sums it up perfectly. “If people understand that the same issues that offend them and distress them also extend to people, in terms of the toxins that are building up in our bodies because of all the different ways in which we are exposed to it, that will encourage change.”
So is this the film that scares (or teaches) the world in a way the brings about lasting change?
