Wendy Feinberg on PLASTIC PEOPLE (2024) SXSW 2024

 

While sitting here composing this review of PLASTIC PEOPLE, I find myself surrounded by so  much plastic, from picture frames to remote controls, from my cable box to the buttons of my  blouse and much, much more. Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s PLASTIC PEOPLE, which  premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, gives us a brief history of plastic (a derivative of  oil), which, when invented, was often used as a substitute for more expensive or rare products.  Examples include women moving from wearing silk stockings to “nylons” and the use of  celluloid and then bakelite (the first synthetic plastic materials) as a substitute for ivory. Soon  there was an increase of plastic in shoes and fabrics and the manufacture of vinyl records  beginning in the 1940’s. We are now living in a “plastic world”, inundated with millions of tons  of plastic bags, bottles and cups, with only about 10% of plastic being recyclable! 

Microplastic (extremely small pieces of plastic debris) has been found in the carcasses of birds  and in the foods we eat. The sheer process of making plastic causes pollution in the air we  breath. There is plastic in snow and rain. I watched with horror as scientists spoke of their  discovery that microplastic has unfortunately invaded our bodies, being found in our cells and  even in small amounts in our brains! It has been found that chemicals in plastic can cause  infertility and plastic has been found in the cells of a baby’s placenta. 

The film is a cautionary tale of where we may be heading if we don’t find alternatives to plastic  use. In the film, to paraphrase, we see that we can’t live without plastics, but we must change  how we use them. A few communities around the globe are attempting to address the issue,  but it’s going to take much more than a village to succeed! 

Although dealing with some technical scientific info, PLASTIC PEOPLE is presented in a clear  and interesting way that I feel will be understood by a layperson, including older adolescents. I  believe it is an essential film for anyone who is interested in saving our environment and is  concerned about the future of mankind in general! In other words, EVERYONE!