Eye of the Future

Gr 5–8—Playing happily in the beautiful United Nations' gardens, five children of ambassadors from around the world enter a magic portal to be confronted by the voice of Earth. They are given the mandate to try to save the world from global climate change and its resultant catastrophic effects on the well being of all people. They must come up with a plan to reduce worldwide carbon emissions to a manageable level by the year 2050 and change the habits and lifestyles of all humanity. They suggest numerous grand plans for recycling, water conservation, re-forestation, mass transportation, and a catalog of other worthwhile endeavors. Overwhelmed by a sound track of incessant, relentlessly upbeat music, the children's untrained voices are sometimes incomprehensible, even as they enumerate vital statistics and urgent messages. Beautiful global images flash on the screen as they plan for a sustainable future, but sometimes these images have no relation to the message being presented. The production features nine-year-old children, while the audience for this documentary's message is somewhat older. The catalog of necessary changes seems to have no logical progression, nor does it offer a cohesive message for students. An ad for other films from Cinema Libre comprises the first ten minutes of the film. Of limited use for the earth science or environmental science curriculum.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly Trinity-Pawling School, NY