How to Live on Earth takes a familiar environmental documentary formula and gives it a welcome shot of optimism. Directed by Fredi Devas and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s essentially a hopeful “how to” guide for saving the planet, built around a pretty simple argument. The film cautions that before we start dreaming about colonizing Mars, maybe we should figure out how to live sustainably on the planet we already have.
The documentary is organized around three questions: how to feed the future, how to value nature, and how to feel more human through our connection with it, and Devas travels around the world looking at people already working on those problems. In Chad, forest rangers protect elephants that play a surprisingly important role in maintaining the savannah ecosystem. In China, the collapse of bee populations has left workers literally hand pollinating fruit trees with feather dusters. Singapore and South Korea offer examples of cities incorporating green spaces and even forest therapy into everyday life, while other segments explore mycelium-based alternatives to meat and new financial models that treat healthy ecosystems as valuable infrastructure rather than something to be exploited. It’s scientific yet remains accessible to mainstream audiences.
That international scope is commendable because the documentary isn’t simply presenting a series of Western solutions to a global problem. It looks at different communities, ecosystems, scientists, activists, and governments, showing how grassroots efforts and larger institutions can work together. It’s interesting, but Devas approaches the film with a somewhat dry manner that feels like a news report rather than a piece of entertainment.
Most environmental documentaries are understandably heavy on climate anxiety, but Devas takes a different (and refreshing) approach. The film acknowledges the urgency without spending the entire running time telling us how the sky is falling and we’re all certainly doomed. Instead, it focuses on tangible things people are already doing, from changing food systems to protecting biodiversity and finding ways for humans to reconnect with nature. The result is surprisingly energizing, and you won’t leave with a bleak outlook.
Cumberbatch is also a terrific fit for the material. His narration has personality and a playful quality that keeps the film from becoming too dour or preachy. That same upbeat approach can occasionally make “How to Live on Earth” feel a little simplistic (even juvenile), and I could easily see it appealing more to younger viewers than some of the more hard edged climate documentaries from recent years. Still, I’ll take this kind of optimism over another two hours of climate catastrophe any day.
By: Louisa Moore
