I Am Greta in Berlin cinemas now. Photo: Dogwoof Pictures
This documentary about Greta Thunberg feels too much like generic PR to properly provoke or inspire.
Fresh from its recent festival rounds in Venice and Toronto, this glossy but surface-level documentary is an underwhelming look at the teenage climate activist and her achievements. Director Nathan Grossman was given intimate access to Greta Thunberg’s life, but the end result feels calculated and fails to challenge any preexisting narratives.
Nor does he dive into deeper issues or truly add to his subject’s story, by bafflingly avoiding questions like: What really triggered her dedication to activism? How many strings is her omnipresent father pulling? Is it right to deprive someone of a childhood and expose such a young person to punishingly intense scrutiny? The end result is a sort of tragic coming-of-age story, a well-meaning testament to an important figure that feels too much like generic PR to properly provoke or inspire.
I Am Greta / Directed by Nathan Grossman (UK, US, Germany 2020). Starts October 16.