The budget required for project ‘Save Civilization’ is estimated to be 1/3 of the U.S. Military Budget, which at the time of making this documentary was set at $598bn – this is according to Prof. Lester R. Brown, founder of the Worldwatch and Earth Policy institutes. And if you think about it, it’s a one-time investment with a handsome return.
Normal is Over is by no means the first documentary about environmental degradation, the evil’s of economic globalisation and our grotesque relationship with consumption – but it differs in that it uncovers the financial and economic paradigm underlying our planetary problems and it intends to inspire and motivate positive thinking and action by showing that there are real solutions, being carried out by ‘real’ people despite the overwhelming issues to address.
Shot over a period of five years, this award-winning film documents the incredible journey taken by investigative journalist, Renee Scheltema, as she goes on a global search to find out what’s going wrong and if it can be fixed. She shares the ideas of some of the world’s finest contemporary thinkers, the likes of Prof. Lester Brown, Dr Ian McCullum, Dr Vandana Shiva, Prof. Bernard Lietaer, Charles Eisenstein and a host of others.
The film recounts how human habits of consumption, the industrialisation and control of our food production and the use of a ‘single currency-positive interest rate’ economic system have brought about species extinction, climate change and the depletion of critical natural resources.
There is an element of myth-busting that takes place in this story too. The panel of economic experts all conclude that the current monetary system is absolutely unsustainable because of the consequence of widening the inequality gap, primarily through positive interest rates and a debt currency. In the film they propose some very exciting and feasible alternatives to this economic model that can offer hope of salvation to the world and benefit the other 99%. Normal is Over gives heaps of validation to the ‘green fight’ and offers well thought out strategies on how best to tackle it.
It is definitely worth a watch for those starting out on an exploratory understanding of global exploitation and decline. But equally so for those suffering from Green Fatigue because it offers new perspective and with it, hope. It’s surprisingly entertaining for a documentary offering rich visuals along with intelligent and humorous banter between Renee and her guests.
To find out more about screenings, organising a screening or how to stream the film please go to http://normalisoverthemovie.com/
