ONLINE—Earth (2019)

(Erde, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Austria 2019, 115 min., DCP, English, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Spanish w/subtitles)

“Earth” is not only the term we use to refer to the planet humanity calls home, it is also the word for the soil that the planet is made of. Each day, people displace in excess of 150 million tons of earth—more than twice that of erosion—making humankind “the most decisive geological factor of our time.” This documentary observes seven major projects around the world, the effect they have on our landscape, and the views of the people working in them. From quotidian land development to marble quarries, and from punching a train tunnel through a mountain to the dangers of nuclear waste, human decisions have changed the face of our planet, with little consideration for its effects. As one of the machine operators states, “The Earth is definitely a cruel mistress. . . . She fights us every bit of the way, but that’s why we have big machines with a lot of horsepower. We fight back.”

Dryden Theatre Recommends: Earth (2019)