The documentary that I have chosen to write about for our second assignment is called "If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front". The Earth Liberation Front, or ELF, is a leaderless, international environmental organization whose soul mission is to protect the wilderness they love.
Marshall Curry's goal in the creation of this film was to display the complexity of the issues surrounding environmental radicalism and domestic terrorism. The film features interviews from ELF members who were part of a sect called "The Family," FBI investigators, environmental experts, and lumber mill owners among others. Curry has been applauded by news sources such as the New York Times for his even-handedness in surveying these complex issues and the reasoning behind the actions of each party involved.
I chose to write about this film not because I am an expert on the Earth Liberation Front, in matters of environmental radicalism or on eco-terrorism, but because I have in interest in better understanding how these three elements operate together. I am interested in debating the same questions that Curry asks over and over again: Why do environmental radicalists take such extreme actions? How do we define terrorism? Is it terrorism if someone burns down a building and nobody is in it? How have our perceptions of terrorism changed over time? These questions keep me intrigued.
Here is the trailer for the film:
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