I chose questions c and d.
Our SDG is Life on Land and it is highly connected to the movie “Interstellar.” The movie
"Interstellar" suggests several themes and conveys messages. Here are some of the messages
related to issues mentioned in course texts. For example, Exploration and Human imagination:
"Interstellar" highlights the value of human creativity and exploration in the face of difficulties.
Because Earth's ecosystem is about to collapse, the heroes set off on a mission to discover
another planet that can support life. This emphasizes the value of pushing limits and looking for
novel solutions to urgent global concerns like climate change. Also, environmental
Sustainability: the movie makes viewers more conscious of the effects of environmental
deterioration. The planet Earth is shown in the movie as being on the edge of ecological collapse,
with terrible dust storms and a decreasing food supply. People wear masks when there is a dust
storm. Farmers can’t harvest their crops (Nolan, 2014, 00:04:55). This is consistent with current
worries about environmental sustainability and the requirement to take action in order to protect
the resources of our planet. 4 astronauts were sent from Earth. They have 2 plans: Plan A is
trying to get people from Earth and Plan B is “population bomb” which is spreading human
progeny (Nolan, 2014, 29:52-34:40). First they landed on a planet which has a little oxygen and
organic products (Nolan, 2014, 01:08:44), but the planet is covered with sea, so it is impossible
to live on a planet like that. Secondly, they went to a planet which is cold so it is also impossible
to live (Nolan, 2014, 01:35:39). In the end, Cooper’s daughter Murph establishes a “Cooper
Station” on Saturn orbit in order for people to live safely (Nolan, 2014, 02:36:12-02:39:41). The
film "Interstellar" has received significant praise for the challenging themes and messages.
Although the effectiveness of delivering these themes may vary depending on the audience, the
movie's overall impact has been substantial. For example, Environmental Sustainability:
Through the depiction of Earth's deteriorating state, "Interstellar" promotes awareness of
environmental deterioration. The narrative and film's striking graphics powerfully illustrate the
necessity for environmental sustainability and the negative effects of disregarding our planet's
resources. Murph tries to emphasize that the dust storm affects lungs negatively and she tries to
convince her brother to call a doctor to check up on her nephew (Nolan, 2014, 1:50:57 -
01:52:52). On the other hand, love is a central theme in "Interstellar." The movie suggests that
love transcends dimensions and can serve as a powerful force that guides human actions. This
concept touches upon the psychological and emotional aspects of human nature, which are often
studied in courses related to psychology, sociology, and philosophy. For example, Cooper tries to
connect Murph with his love towards her. He leaves a message to his watch for Murph. When
TARS asks him whether Murph is going to take it or not, Cooper answers it as yes because he
knows that there is connection between him and her daughter in terms of love (Nolan, 2014,
02:31:07-02:31:59). Furthermore, this reminds us that Eisenstein talks about the idea of the New
World, a society based on ideals like love, compassion, etc. He says that in order to realize this
vision, individuals must transcend the limitations of our present system which is predicated on
fear, rivalry, and scarcity. He advises them to work toward developing a system that is based on
plenty, collaboration, and mutual assistance ("Charles Eisenstein Full-length Interview from
Living the Change," 2018)
References:
Nolan , C. (Director). (2014). Interstellar [Film]. Paramount Pictures.
Living the Change. (2018, June 11). Charles Eisenstein Full-length Interview from Living the
Change [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggdmkFA2BzA
