I Am Greta

This insightful documentary commences with 15-year-old Greta Thunberg as she sits all alone on a school strike protesting about climate change. When asked why she wasn’t at school her response was, “Why should I get an education if there’s no future?”

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg quickly builds a huge following worldwide. The cameras follow her around for six months as she travels to Europe with her father speaking at UN climate conferences attended by world politicians, but she slowly comes to the realisation that nobody is listening.

Notable worldwide figures including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, and Australia’s very own Alan Jones offer differing opinions of Greta’s work, one critic advising that she suffers from Asperger Syndrome thence ‘eloquently’ commenting, “She’s not the messiah! She’s a kid – wake up, grow up and shut up!”

Should the world stop and listen when a teenager demands that emissions must be reduced before warning, “I want you to panic!” Are these issues too complex for a young child who many believe is being exploited by her parents?

Regardless of whether movie-goers are inspired by ‘superhero’ Greta Thunberg, it cannot be disputed that she has been successful in spreading awareness of this very real global threat. (MMo)

★★★ ½