From time to time a film comes out and I leave the theater thinking about it for days after the screening. Yesterday I saw a film at the LA Film Festival called Who Killed The Electric Car?. This is a film that will stew in my mind not just for days, but for months to come.
The film chronicles the history of the electric car and all its wonder. Few Americans probably know this but many Californians were driving around in totally electric vehicles in the mid-'90s and early part of this century. Everyone from Mel Gibson to Ed Begley Jr. had one. This was years before the the war in Iraq and the price of gas climbing to record highs. The film discusses this perfect mode of transportation and why it eventually died out.
I won't go into it too much because I don't want to ruin the film for you, but let me just say that these cars could run for 100 miles per charge and had absolutely no exhaust or dependence on oil whatsoever. The cars were sleak, clean, and held promise for the future.
But something happened to them. The car companies took them away from their customers and got them off the roads completely.
For the most part, the only place you can see a car like this now is at a museum.
The film painfully chronicles how big business, corporate greed, and the oil companies deprived us of this perfect alternative and clean mode of transportation.
This film is painful yet important viewing for everyone going to the pump and paying astronomical prices.
Every American is now being affected by the price of gas. This film explains that we are feeling this not just because the cost of foreign oil is going up. It is also because our system of capitalism is silencing any technological developments that might lose money for those in the highest places of power.
This film is far more than a cut-and-dried documentary. It is a beautiful piece of art. I promise you will not be bored when watching this. The filmmakers took the time to create a pace, a look, and a feel that made this a very entertaining film.
We are now in a time of great exploration in the form of documentary filmmaking and Who Killed The Electric Car is a must-see for anyone who yearns for a great moviegoing experience.
The film opens in 3 days on June 28th in major cities and I urge everyone to go see this film as soon as it comes out near you.