Sometimes during the quest of watching every film released in the UK, my stamina starts to wane.
Such is the situation this week. We had been away all weekend in Holland and then went out again last night to see Carnage.
Tonight promised to be the coldest in Nottingham this winter and, frankly, I could not face leaving our nice warm house.
Instead, I opted to watch a DVD, played on a Blu-ray player which probably came from Japan on a telly which was certainly designed if not made in the Far East so that I could be lectured about the perils of globalisation.
I have just made Mrs W and myself seem terribly materialistic when we aren't. Sure, the telly was a bit extravagant but it was the first one we had bought in 13 years and the Blu Ray came as part of the package.
True, I have a Toyota Avensis on our drive but I deliberately buy Toyota because there is a huge factory ten miles from our door and I feel like I'm doing my but to keep local folk in work.
This, of course, doesn't exactly follow the principles of those involved in the making of The Economics Of Happiness.
They are more concerned with food production and consumption. And while they very much favour local shopping, I can't imagine that stretches to cars because they are fossil fuel guzzlers.
I've seen and heard many of the points made in Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick and John Page's film before.
However, this documentary is particularly clever because it takes a town in the Himalayas which until recently was unspoilt and the people had equality and happiness, living off the land.
Now they are subject to western influences and cheap food imports. Suddenly, they are dismayed because of unemployment and poverty is a new word in the vocabulary.
I was interested that a correlation was established between economic growth and unsustainability.
For many years I have believed this to be the case and have observed, in working class English cities, that change, in the name of progress, makes the population or even individuals nervous or even unhappy.
It clarifies for me why people have the biggest smiles when they are discussing the past.
The Economics Of Happiness presents two sides of a coin. One shows how we could be on a path to world destruction and the other shows how certain communities are fighting back with some excellent local projects.
Of course, it is fatuous to say the world will be saved by just returning to the land - some of the most unhappy people on the planet are those who have suffered a failed crop or harvest.
But the idea of supporting local farmers and enhancing local community is persuasive.
Indeed, if the success of this documentary could be measured in terms of how much it has made me consider my own actions, it would be deemed a success.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none (no need - fresh produce is good for the health)
Nudity: Only the vegetables.
Overall rating: 7/10
0 Comments