New Planet, Old Plants
Seeds of Time by Sandy McLeod follows Cary Fowler around the world as he finds a way to save the foundation of what we live on, food. There are fears that one day if something were to strike earth, we would not have the necessary foods to survive. For this reason the Svalbard Seed Vault was create in Greenland, to preserve seeds from current virtually for all eternity. Fowler helped to build this vault to keep all types of food and plants from around the world from dying out or being effected from GMOs. So within this vault there are seeds from new times and old. A lot of the focus has been on preserving heritage seeds. This where Fowler discovered himself throughout the film, finding these rare and unusual heritage seeds that were made for the land they grow in. Most of this film continues to educate the views on the importance of this vault and the potential uses for something like this. But what the film does not dive into is the science behind this vault.
I struggled to relate to this film because questions I had were not answered. Although the film was very nice, I believe it was directed for a more naive viewing party and less for a crowd that has heard of the seed vault previously and understand the concepts for conservation and preservation quite thoroughly. I want to know the science behind what happens to the seeds in the vault, how can they really last that long? Wouldn’t this begin to get freezer burn? What happens if the climate and earth has changed so much that many of our plants literally could not survive on this earth again? And because of its location, what if we cannot reach the vault after this catastrophic event occurs? I simply had many questions that I struggled to find answers to within the film. Initially the director gave the audience a feeling of science in the beginning through the graphics and tone of the film, but that was not the case as the film continued.
The director did do a great job in filming Fowler throughout his travels around the world. To enhance the idea that this was a major journey for Fowler, McLeod filmed him walking everywhere he went and even sometimes in other modes of transportation. With the idea that this is a long journey within his life and it will take a long time to find what he is looking for. He also showed when Fowler made mistakes,which I think was a wonderful addition to the film. Because views want to be able to relate to what they are watching and the character they are following and by showing that he was a regular guy just following his life’s journey, the audience could relate to that. The fact that Fowler is not a straight scientist worked for the targeting the beginner audience.
In the end I think the director, McLeod wanted people to understand that our world is changing and our food is not something that is safe so we need to protect it. People should help with this cause and understand more about their food before they consume it. And I can respect a message that wants to educate the public on the importance of what they are consuming and redirecting them into believing in and consuming more responsibly sourced food.