“I want to say one word to you,” Mr. McGuire says to Ben in The Graduate. “Just one word. Plastics.”
It was the line that defined a generation, or the promise of it. Nearly forty-five years later, that famous clip is included in another film depicting the high cost of fulfilling that promise.
On March 9th, the Environmental Film Festival held an advanced screening of “Bag It” for school groups and members of the general public in Washington D.C. The film had a rough cut screening last year at the Environmental Film Festival. The festival officially opens March 15 and runs until March 27th.
“The film you’re about to see,” begins the film, “is all about something you might not think about too much but you see it every day and use it everyday and that’s plastic and in particular, plastic bags.”
Actor and comedian Jeb Berrier stars in this documentary by Reel Thing Productions, directed by Suzan Beraza. What began as Berrier’s quest to rid himself of the plastic bags kept under his sink quickly graduates from bringing his own tote to exploring the working conditions of recycling mills in China and the plastic killing wildlife and marine life each year. When his partner becomes pregnant, he’s driven to seek out the various ways in which the chemicals of plastic items leak into our bloodstreams, and how they can impact development.
With vintage film clips and interviews from Sylvia Earle and experts at Surfrider Foundation, Environmental Working Group, Ecology Center, Algalita Marine Research Foundation and others, the film is a fast-paced, entertaining 78 minutes.
Beraza spoke afterward on the difference between single-use and other plastic, how she travels with her own silverware, and buying items without excessive packaging. She encouraged the students to use something until it falls apart, not go after the latest gadget, and bring a reusable container so they can carry their own water.
“Bag It” will begin airing on National Public Television April 18th.
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