Terraforma review – an unhurried portrait of man-made nature on Ascension Island | film

FFrom the dark belly of the ocean rises Ascension Island, a rocky outpost in the Atlantic Ocean created by volcanic eruptions and sediments accumulated over millions of years. While its formation seems like an act of cosmic creation, much of its landscape is man-made. During the Victorian era, British botanists brought plants to grow locally, transforming the barren land into a green oasis. Using this example as a starting point, the late documentary directed by Kevin Brennan and Lawrence Dworkin reflects on the evolution of “terraforming,” a much-theorized ecological process in which humans alter a hostile environment to suit their needs.

Visually, this film unfolds in a series of static vignettes, largely depicting the natural terrain of Ascension City. Cracked lava fields and golden sands give way to verdant forests, conjuring up a stunning color palette of black, yellow and green. The images are poetic, displaying a stunning array of flora and fauna; People are rarely seen on screen, and their absence adds a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere.

The human point of view is presented mostly on an auditory level, through the use of voiceover. Set above Ascension’s unique landscape, conversations with geological experts address the relationship between humans and nature. Unfortunately, many of these discussions tend towards the philosophical and speculative, and offer little historical and practical knowledge about the dangers of terraforming. None of the interviewees were from the Global South, which is also problematic, given the primarily imperialist motivation behind the desire to reshape and conquer this allegedly uncharted territory.

Indeed, without concrete examples and evidence, this film inadvertently reinforces simplistic binaries devoid of social and political nuance, and without analytical rigor, its beautiful cinematography also rings hollow, resembling nothing more than an embellished slideshow.