Those who read this blog know that I tend to shy away from talking about films if I don’t like them. The reason being simply that there are so many I do love to cover. There are things I liked and some things I didn’t like about Dirt! The Movie from the Documentary Competition, but I think that the good makes this a film worth watching.

It’s hard to imagine an entire film about dirt, and the filmmakers must have anticipated the need to provide interesting visuals to contrast with the many “talking heads” that appear. There are some really wonderful abstract, impressionistic animation, and then there is some that is a little hokey (little dirt particles that dance, show happiness and sadness depending on what the narrative is discussing). The film lays the foundation for understanding why dirt is important and the significance it has had in human history. But, if you paid attention in 5th grade science, this part of the film could have easily been cut in half. Several experts say the same thing in different ways and they all sniff dirt. Ok, I get, you like the way it smells.

But, the latter half of the film is where I found the story. Programs like gardening in prisons and ex-cons continuing gardening after their release; kids tearing up their asphalt playgrounds to plant gardens; Sebastio Selgado and his wife completely rehabilitating one of the ruined landscapes of Selgado’s world-renowned images. Each of these programs are contributing to the re-greening of earth, and if you are at a moment in your life where you are feeling like change is needed, the people in this film will give you ideas about some things you can do to start.

Whether it is planting a tree, composting or buying your vegetables from a farm cooperative, there are things that we can do in our everyday lives to improve our planet. This message came through loud and clear for me while watching Dirt! The Movie, and I think that is a very valuable lesson. Did you know it’s possible to compost radioactive waste? When can we start?

The film is also beautifully shot. The colors were saturated and combined with the quirky but fun experts, it was easy to forgive the somewhat patronizing grade school science lessons and animations.