Darwin’s Nightmare | Review

Documentary is a deeply disturbing reality check of the bleak future ahead.

There’s a haunting preface to this documentary which comes via a piece of footage where a young woman, also known as a “pilot’s friend”, bravely and unconvincingly sings about the beauty of her homeland. Like the soul of the prostitute, the country of Tanzania has been stripped of its value from foreigners looking to take advantage of a socially chaotic, decentralized economic system. Hubert Sauper’s Darwin’s Nightmare takes an uncomfortable look into how Euro-community still depends on the type of system that reminds of the slave trade.

A large chartered Russian plane lands on a dirt-road of a landing strip in a country that is in complete shambles. In a Hollywood feature, the belly of that plane would be loaded in medical aid, food and clothing for the poor – but in the current global economy, these planes are on occasion carry a cargo of military arms or no cargo at all. If your third world country has a natural resource then it becomes a prime picking spot for the richer nations – thus the subject of this disturbingly surreal documentary that looks at the effects of the raping of a fertile land, the destruction of the fragile eco-system and massacre of thousands of starving and sick people. The focal element of this modern tragedy concerns the deed of a good samaritan from the West, who introduced a scientifically-morphed fishing-eating beast of a fish that has over time, depleted numerous other important species of fish.

With the hand of a couple of good locals, Sauper points out one shocking portrait of inhumane conditions after another and lets the timeline tell the horror story of the entire cycle of this fish trade. The collection of hellish images and personal accounts with what comes across as a non-intrusive portable camera gives the sort of accessibility that no tour guide on the planet would endorse. Clearly, this is the type of film which many multinationals wish not to be made public – just the fact that Sauper collected such images is a story in itself.

The strength of any documentary is to be as objective as possible – with Darwin’s Nightmare, unfiltered images not only speak louder than words but they scream of panic, they rattle the collective consciousness of those who are sheltered in the Northern hemisphere. Ultimately, it’s not only a question how of one should think about how many people suffered to bring your take-out sushi to your plate, but a more pressing question of deciding what we choose to want to forget and what we do about it that counts.

Viewed in original languages (including English) with French subtitles.

Rating 4.5 stars