Opening 13 Jun 2013
Directed by:
Michal Marczak
Writing credits:
Lukasz Grudzinski, Michal Marczak
Behind this provocative title stands a charitable NGO which works for preservation of the environment. Founded in 2004 in Norway by Leona Johansson and Tommy Hol Ellingsen, director Michal Marczak finds them in new headquarters in Berlin where he films this documentary. “Headquarters” is an exaggeration. Actually, they live in abandoned basements without electricity. At night they sort Berlin’s trash cans for food and clothing; they travel on bicycles. Still they have managed to accumulate a considerable amount of cash donations for their cause. They do this by selling pornographic films online of themselves having sex. They recruit new advocates from the streets (supposedly 10% of the people they speak to agree to being photographed naked). They demonstrated naked in a Berlin parade called Slutwalk, which they were asked to leave, being even more outrageous than the “sluts.” It’s the 1960’s hippie movement, including psychedelic music, all over again. Believe it or not, in 2012, they had accumulated Euro 420,000. They decided to donate it to an Indian tribe in the Brazilian Amazon to save 300 hectors of their rain forest from destruction by modern-day industrialists. The film follows them on their trip into the rain forest by ship, canoe, and on foot. They live with the Indians and communicate via translator. The Indians find them even stranger than vice versa. In the end both groups realize that they are definitely not on the same page re: goals and expectations. The “primitive” tribe leaders seem much more mature and definitely more realistic than the childish hippies, who live in a dream world.
Originally the group was a trio, until others joined. One new member, for example, was Kaajal whose boyfriend ably prevented her from catching her plane back to her home in India, causing her to remain with the group – not involuntarily. Director Marczak met them in 2009 and decided to begin filming when the group became larger, less manageable and, perhaps, even close to disbandment. The documentary deals with a topic important to world affairs. It shows a few individuals, whom we may not want to emulate in lifestyle, but who are unselfish and liberal, but still very human, with a message to everyone. It would be an interesting film for high school classes to discuss, except that the students’ parents would complain about the “fucking,” perhaps better recommended for university classes. (Becky Tan)
