A documentary film about a radical environmentalist has just received an Oscar nomination, hailed by the NY Times' Andrew Revkin as "a vote for fearless exploration of complexity in a world drawn to oversimplified depictions of events and problems, heroes and villains."

 

"If A Tree Falls," directed by Marshall Curry (his second Oscar nom), tells the story of Daniel McGowan, a former member of the Earth Liberation Front, and the various crimes for which he was convicted and sent to prison. 

 

"Drawing from a very thoughtful and articulate selection of folks from all sides of the issue, "If a Tree Falls" comes of age itself, pushing past the familiar activists-vs.-the-corporate-state paradigm to hear from those whose sympathies lie on both sides," writes Steven Boone in a review. 

 

Over on Gothamist, director Curry said in an interview that until America takes responsibility for the environment, there will always be those out there willing to step in and risk it all to make a difference. 

 

"I think there will always be people who feel that America, whether it's Democrats or Republicans in charge, is not taking care of the environment as well as it should. I mean, in the '90s, Bill Clinton was the president and had been president for two terms when a lot of this stuff was happening. But I also do think that the farther the country moves from taking the stewardship of the planet seriously, the more panicked and frustrated some folks will become. And often when people become frustrated, they resort to extreme tactics."

 

If you have Netflix streaming, you can check out "If A Tree Falls" online right now. A trailer is available below.