How sad is this?

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Finally, a film which connects the dots between women's rights - populations growth - growth of environmental degradation and poverty. It breaks the 'taboo' of the real main factors behind ecological degradation and the ongoing (and growing!) abject poverty for let's not forget: 1 in 7 people today! Real main factors people have either never connected together, or are choosing denial. Seriously, since we are not TODAY managing and sharing our limited resources properly, how on earth do we expect we will all 'magically' manage and share better when the number of people in need have doubled by 2050 in some places? It's just not realistic, whether we like it or not, and we need to take responsibility NOW. Please watch and show to your local media and political representatives; family, friends and colleagues!

I had a biological mother, but I've never met her, I'm an adoptee. I was two months old when I was adopted, so my mom is my mom. Nowadays, some people can watch video of themselves being born; not sure if that wouldn't creep me out a bit. Some things should be left in the realm of the mysterious.In the early days of the environmental movement, a key plank in the platform was ZPG, or zero population growth. As I've said on my blog,the Hazard Hot Sheet, we wouldn't have the enviro problems that we do if there weren't just too damn many of us. We're depleting aquifers, energy sources, the soil's capacity to feed us, you name it. The so-called Green Revolution was going to feed everybody (yeah, right)…that's when we had only about half the everybodies we have today.Barry Commoner's book, "The Closing Circle," Paul Ehrlich's "The Population Bomb," and Andrew Goudie's "The Human Impact" pointed out that we don't have an infinite carrying capacity, and the Club of Rome's "Limits to Growth" report, and its two sequels, fleshed it out. Politicians of a different stripe from mine decry and condemn that attitude as negative, and that it's all about economic growth, growth, growth. But, dammit, there are only so many resources to exploit. I know some fatalistic conservatives who figure that humans won't be around much longer, so let's just use up everything we can while we can. That's not my approach, obviously.The nice thing about "Mother" is that it ties in all the old ZPG ideas with the current women's issues and reproductive health ones. AND drags Ehrlich out of mothballs, lol. I wish I had a teaching gig at Stanford. My brother-in-law does.I have no kids, that I'm aware of, anyway, so my impact is low. Chairman Mao tried to impose limits on China's population, with mixed results. (I'm working on a blog post on the pros and cons of Chinese medicine…I'm a fan of the culture, but some of their "remedies" are way toxic, and wiping out endangered species to make "aphrodisiacs" for an overpopulated country isn't a plan I'd write.) What I liked about the film is the message, and how viscerally it was delivered, through fine cinematography and narration. It's visually and aurally arresting, and I think anyone who sees it will GET the message. Great job by all involved.Gaia = Mom.

In a world plagued with innumerable and seemingly insurmountable problems, it's nice to view a film that tackles a formidable problem (i.e. population growth) in a positive manner. While the film certainly describes the many challenges that are associated with population growth, it leaves the viewer with a clearer understanding of what can be done to lower fertility rates while respecting individual choice and also improving the lives of people in the developed world. I particularly enjoyed the scenes that were filmed on location in Ethiopia. They gave me a far greater appreciation for the benefits that can be derived from educating girls, empowering women, and giving couples access to modern contraceptive methods. I was particularly interested to learn more about the role that entertainment media is playing in Ethiopia.

This film reveals the devastating environmental stresses caused by a large and growing world population. It shows that this is not just a problem for "others" to solve. Over-consumption is also addressed effectively in the film. Respected economist Mathis Wackernagel points out that continuing consumption growth "...just doesn't make sense mathematically." Women's empowerment and responsible family planning decisions are emphasized. The film observes that we must convert our conquering mindset into a nurturing one.The film is appropriate for high school and college students. A shorter version, perhaps 30 minutes, would be useful for such audiences, and would allow for discussion in a 50 minute class.