Eco-Films: Get acquainted with your surroundings.

3 Minute Read

An alternative collection of thoughtfully curated movies that circle themes of ecology, environment, nature, and the connections humanity has with and within it.

Scroll to the end for a brief list of the films mentioned.

We only have one blue planet we call home. But there is a plethora of ways we see this singular space we inhabit.

These selected films capture aspects of ecological themes in a unique and at times elusively subtle way. They work their magic silently so you can enjoy storylines yet still ponder their inner meanings long after the last scenes come to a close.

1. Nausicaä Of the Valley of the Wind (1984).

This lesser known animated film by Hayao Miyazaki is a great counterpart to his extremely popular Princess Mononoke (1997).

Nausicaa presents monolithic beauty and life on a grander scale.

Having a more poignant exploration on ecological connections with a story directly applicable to the tenuous and complicated balance our beautiful planet similarly has.

HERE’S A LINK TO THE MOVIE (DUB VERSION)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) – YouTube

2. Samsara (2011)

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents.

A visual exploration that weaves through space and time to give you an overlapping sense of interconnectivity in a perceivably disconnected and jarring world.

Get in touch with all walks of life, culture and sense of place. Stirring questions of belonging and how humanity treads and interacts with the planet and earth.

3. Annihilation (2018)

Part science-fiction part bio-horror, Annihilation is a beautiful exploration and creative theory on alternative modes of life and the impact it can have on the human anatomy and psyche.

An alien presence inserts itself into the earth’s biosphere and in the process de-centres and re-categorizes humanity into our planet’s organic ecology.

The movie reviews our biological existence while challenging barriers created by a human-centric modern life.

4. Chinatown (1974)

An American neo-noir mystery film inspired by the California Water Wars.

We approach ecology through the realism of a resource-based lens. Serving as the foundation to explore the dark dramas of human conflict, familial secrets, community corruption and exploitation.

A strong contender for a WTF ending but you’ll have to watch to see for yourself.

5. Wall-E (2008)

A warm, animated film about a sweet, sentimental robot left to stack garbage on an abandoned earth. He finds himself falling in love when he crosses paths with a mysterious bot from space.

Through this unlikely rom-com between two robots we find a journey of hope and redress for humanity. (We promise this is a genuinely funny film for all ages.)

Thoughtful animation of a post-human earth draws questions of how we utilise technology to care for life and whispers subtle calls for environmental stewardship and resurrection of healthy human cooperation.

A brief list of all the films mentioned:

1. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, 1984.
2. Samsara, 2011.
3. Annihilation, 2018.
4. Chinatown, 1974.
5. Wall-E, 2008.

We definitely have more films that could’ve made the list. Keep an eye out for a likely continuing series.