Short of the Week: A surreal environmental protest by Chel White
As climate change and environmental catastrophes continue to pose great threats to people all over the world, many filmmakers have tried to use the cinematic medium to bring about meaningful change. While the documentary format is obviously the most effective, this edition of Short of the Week explores environmental activism through cinematic surrealism.
When we think of environmental protests in cinema, the films of directors such as Hayao Miyazaki immediately come to mind. However, Chel White’s 1998 film Dirt might just be one of the most interesting ecocritical works made about sustainable consumption. If you haven’t seen the film and have some preconceived notions of sustainable consumption, throw them out because Dirt is something else.
It tells the story of a man who becomes obsessed with eating dirt, using it to garnish his steak and as stuffing for other meals. In the film, he explains that the origin of his fondness for consuming dirt can be traced back to childhood games involving dirt tolerance. Although dirt often made other children sick, he was always unharmed.
The intentional practice of eating dirt is called geophagia, a phenomenon observed in around 100 primate species and other non-human animals. While animals usually do it as a preventive measure against parasites, geophagia has very different connotations when it comes to human psychology.
Geophagia in humans is usually seen as a subtype of pica, a specific eating disorder that makes individuals crave the consumption of non-edible food items. While it is diagnosed as a psychological problem, geophagia is actually common in many cultures around the world and is often used as a form of medicine.
In Dirt, White uses geophagia as an ecocritical practice. The narrator explains in a poetic monologue how consuming dirt has transformed him into a self-sustaining ecosystem, encouraging the growth of a variety of vegetables from the surface of his body. The complex allegory is perfectly complemented by the metaphorical shots, serving as the perfect critique of modern society’s apocalyptic relationship with waste.
Watch the short film below.
