A man lives for one year without affecting the environment, which means he uses no electricity, eats only locally produced food, composts all his waste, and wipes his ass with a dishrag.I think the main character of this documentary is not "no impact man" but his unfortunate wife. There are several scenes
near the beginning during which it seems as though she's being coerced into doing this "project." I frequently thought, "If by the end of this she converts to his way of thinking, I'm going to accuse this film of Stockholm Syndrome. So, Stockholm Syndrome is the unintentional subject of this documentary.That last sentence is half-joking. Michelle seems critical and selective in her conversion.Colin Beevan occasionally seems like a blow hard mouthpiece, but these scenes are counter-balanced by some moments of sincerity.Other critics have accused Beevan of performing a mere publicity stunt, but isn't it a stunt only if he uses a hair dryer on the weekends? I think you could criticize him for waiting six months to turn off the lights, point out that he doesn't have a clever way to prevent waste water, or accuse him of insensitivity when he powers his laptop to write his blog with donated solar panels but doesn't let his wife use the juice for the refrigerator. But I don't see anything dishonest about Beevan. He is well-meaning and idealistic, and those are necessarily bad things.Overall, I don't think No Impact Man will do anything to change your life (or mine), but Beevan's question of what could we live without is certainly food for thought.
August 20, 2011
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