There from the very beginning, I Am Greta documents climate activist Greta Thunberg’s journey from a lone protest outside of Swedish parliament every Friday to a global movement of school strikes attended by hundreds of thousands of people. In her own words (and native language of Swedish), she tells the story of what drove her to first strike outside of the Riksdag building in August 2018, how she changed her lifestyle and convinced her family to do the same.
The documentary takes a look behind the cult figure that this now-seventeen year old girl has become and the audience gets to see her relationship with her father, learn about the extent of her Asperger’s syndrome and how she really is still just a child. Nathan Grossman has managed to film in a way that captures all of the action, the intimate moments and everything in between without ever having an overbearing commentary. He really gets the balance between the big, serious issues that she is burdened with and her reality of being merely a child thrust into the limelight.
It also touches on the hatred that she has received from world leaders and journalists and how she reacts to it. Her father is ever present as her travel companion as she makes her way by train, electric car and eventually carbon fibre boat across Europe and America, and it is both scary and comforting to see the lengths to which he will go to protect her. Overall, the documentary is a brilliant and emotional behind the scenes look into the teenage girl that has jump started the conversation about the climate crisis.
‘I Am Greta’ is available in select cinemas and to stream on Hulu from 16th November.
Pep Reviews 