CARBON, THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY

Australia/Canada, 2021, 89 minutes, Colour.

Narrated by Sarah Snook.

Directed by Daniella Ortega, Niobe Thompson.

As indicated by the title, this is a documentary about Carbon. However, it is highly personalised, Carbon telling the personal story.

It is difficult to gauge exactly for whom this documentary has been made, an Australian-Canadian collaboration, locations in each country, scientific representatives as well as ordinary people giving their opinions. Not for scientists, it is aimed for an audience not so well informed about science, carbon, the evolution of carbon and its place in the universe and in our world. For the adult audience there is a huge demand/test in so far as the filmmakers decided to personify Carbon as feminine speaking her story through the voice of Australian actress, Sarah Snook. For some audiences, this is all rather twee and, for many, off-putting.

Which means that the film may have more of a chance with younger audiences who may accept the feminine Carbon and find a lot of information accessible through images and narration.

In fact, most of the content of the film is quite serious. There is detailed explanation of the origins of Carbon, images of the big bang and the millennia following, the development of the planets, Carbon and stars, the role of the evolutionary processes. All visually striking.

Then there are explanations of Carbon on Earth, Carbon mixing with other elements, leading to its place within human beings – we live in a Carbon world.

Throughout the film there are quite a number of talking heads, various science experts, some of them highly enthusiastic in their explanations. There are also rather more ordinary characters, reflecting on our situation, the place of Carbon, the place of coal, climate change…

And there is a very human framework with a family, Canadian, father and daughter and pregnant mother – leading to a birth sequence at the end, and the continued reminder of the presence of Carbon in ourselves.

Which means then that the screenplay is asking us to forgive Carbon. Screenplay asking us also to respect Carbon and its/her place but not to exploit it.

One irritated viewer commented that the final part of the film is “Greenwashing”, advocating renewables, focusing on sun and wind, images of solar panels, wind sources – but, the objector criticising the enthusiast for renewables (who runs a company in Australia) for not acknowledging the role of coal in the production of wind farms. An important point to consider – but not to undermine the development of renewables.

So, perhaps an audience one evening watching this documentary on television or, more probably, teachers using it as an education aid in schools.