Darwin's Nightmare

Darwin's Nightmare is a typical example of a film where strong themes overshadow the obviously imperfect form. It is disproportionately long; if the documentary were 20 minutes shorter, the audience would not be deprived of any content and the message of the film would be much more impactful. Regardless of its length, it is poorly edited and there is a certain creative helplessness evident in the material used – such as the repetitive and drawn-out shots of planes taking off and landing, extended close-ups of people's faces, and footage of Russian pilots' home videos. A talented creator could have extracted more from the subject. To put it bluntly, if I were to judge it solely based on the quality of execution, the overall rating would be around 45%. Fortunately, there is still the theme – strong, unsettling, and provocative. The theme of poverty, backwardness, pervasive corruption, and environmental devastation in Central Africa. Some scenes truly send a shiver down your spine, like the confession of a retired government mercenary who now works as a night watchman and wishes for a new war, or the passages featuring a European Union official praising modern fish processing facilities with top-notch hygiene, only for the viewer to see moments later how local people survive on decaying remnants from this factory. Such content deserves four stars, thus leaving an overall impression of 70%. (30/11/2006)