The Fundy Film Society

Force of Nature

Force of Nature

Canadian icon, David Suzuki, has narrated countless documentaries but has never been the subject of one, until now. Sturla Gunnarsson’s latest offering begins at a sold-out speaking engagement in Vancouver, where Suzuki is addressing climate change. The speech is riveting, and the documentary could easily remain bound to Suzuki’s words, resulting in something very much akin to An Inconvenient Truth. But it’s here where Gunnarsson’s film becomes truly unique.

We cut to Suzuki the man, now in his seventy-fifth year, retracing his life up to the point that brought him to the speaking engagement that we are now witnessing. We learn about his childhood, his family and everything that brought him to where he is today. The film is surprisingly emotional as Suzuki visits the prison camp in which his parents were interned during the Second World War, and even more so when he talks about fishing with his father in the past and his grandchildren of today. Especially compelling is what we learn about his early days as a science student at the University of British Colombia, breeding fruit flies, and how his life changed when he took his “day job” at the CBC.

All the while we are cutting back to his incredible speech about the contemporary issues facing the planet. His wisdom is omnipresent and not bound to the scientific rigor that might have informed his persona in the past. His words seem to inform not only the subject of his speech but of Suzuki the man.