MOVIE REVIEW: Atlantic

Documentary about the Ocean and that provides our food and most of the oil that the planet uses.

The first thing you take from Atlantic is the overwhelmingly stunning photography that captures your imagination from the start.Â This is not computer generated its pure nature and purely inspiring.Â Then Brendan Gleeson’s powerful and almost dream like voice chimes in and you are taken out of your seat to the natural scares that nature provides.Â This is just minutes into the documentary.

After this we delve into the deep world of how humanity is systematically turning the most vast pantry for the world into a baron landscape.Â From Norway to Ireland to Newfoundland the documentary talks to those who traditionally make their living from the Ocean to those who are part of the huge corporations that are taking over and changing laws to suit their needs.

The idiocy that we are walking blindly into destroying the natural resource of the Ocean via the over fishing and drilling for oil is plain as the nose on my beautiful face.Â Showing archive footage of how corrupt and plainly stupid politicians just roll over for big business along with businessmen who give that political answer to the question of ‘Do you know what you are doing?’

The honesty here comes from the small business men, the fishermen, the ones who go out to feed our countries.Â We know we need more than they can provide but as humans do too well, we don’t have a middle ground, we just under do or go massive.Â The film goes through interviews that clearly point out the facts, not one side or another of the story, just the facts.

I spent most of the film angry and then lost in the natural beauty that our planet has.Â Angry that Irish Politicians are constantly acting like the desperate guy at a party when it comes to Europe and Big Corporations.Â We have, off our shores, some of the best fishing grounds and oil reserves on the planet, and we gave them away for a seat at the table.Â We act like that guy at the party that no one wants there, but he’s trying so hard, he’s going out to buy the beer for the whole party on his dime, they take the drink and then still ignore him.Â Still he sits there with a dumb grin on his face while doing it.Â I’m ashamed of our politicians that we have in Modern Ireland.

We’re shown Norway and Newfoundland and how they dealt with big oil companies and you see how they protected their assets and resources to benefit the people rather than just for a seat at the bigger table.

Fingers crossed that this engrossing documentary is shown to every high school or in the case of Ireland Secondary school student so that it can inform the future policy makers on how to protect their people and our planets natural resources.Â Documentary films are meant to inform you and also enlighten your soul to the plight of something or someone, this film talks about the Ocean as though it’s a hard done by person, which is fitting in a way as it really is being exploited for all the wrong reasons.Â I’m not a vegan, nor what they call a tree hugger, but this film proves them right, and makes you think about giving up fish, and if it wasn’t for that team of doctors telling me that I have to and they mean HAVE to eat more fish I would happily stick with beef.

Take it from me that this is one documentary that shows the facts, stunning imagery, and gets your blood boiling.Â Well worth your time and money.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Narrated by Brendan Gleeson
Director: Risteard O Domhnaill