Down to Earth (2015)

Directed by: Renata Heinen, Rolf Winters | 90 minutes | documentary, adventure

In ‘Down to Earth’ we follow a five-member American family that leaves the hectic pace of modern consumer society behind and embarks on the journey of a lifetime. Business economist Ralf Winters, his wife Renata Heinen and their three children travel to various corners of the earth in search of a new perspective on life and the world that surrounds us. Without a crew or fixed plan, but each equipped with a camera and backpack. During the five-year adventure, they live with and with tribes on six different continents. They film their encounters with the so-called earth keepers, traditionally living people who are still in touch with nature and in harmony with the planet.

‘Down to Earth’ is a film that has caused quite a stir. The film not only ran for an exceptionally long time in the cinema for a documentary, but even prompted several viewers to quit their jobs and drastically change the course of life. The film was also shown at the climate summit in Paris and brought together the hands of many politicians and administrators there too. The success of the film actually mocks all the laws of cinema logic, because as a pure passion project there was no financial room for marketing, advertising, an extensive distribution network or expensive production techniques. Ralf Winters therefore speaks of a film that ‘was created spontaneously instead of invented’, a piece of authenticity that is indeed rare these days and from which the documentary also derives much of its charm.

‘Down to Earth’ is mainly a mishmash of listening sessions with different sages and shamans, recordings of the local nature and reports of encounters with native peoples. The central message that is distilled from this is that people should reconnect with the earth. According to the makers, this is the best medicine against the spiritual and ecological problems that our modern welfare society is struggling with. The nice thing about the film is that no ready-made and completely unambiguous answers are offered to the question of how we can achieve a more sustainable world. Within the rather broad framework of a better connection with each other, nature and the planet, everyone can give substance to this in a personal way. The emphasis is therefore on own initiative, because according to Winters and Heinen, politicians who are attached to the plush and the mantra of eternal growth and who are in the pocket of big business will not make a difference.

Many of the sages and tribal elders who speak in ‘Down to Earth’ have never been interviewed before. The encounters with these thinkers often lead to fascinating conversations. What is striking is that the ideas about man and his place within the natural order among all these tribal elders, despite their isolation and the great distance between their homes, show many similarities. Thematically, ‘Down to Earth’ is certainly interesting. Only the makers sometimes try to put a little too much into the film, so that the journey of Winter and Heinen remains somewhat underexposed. How much time did they spend with each tribe? What does their existence actually look like after this life-changing experience? And which lessons of visited sages do they apply in practice at home in modern society? These aspects remain somewhat underexposed. In addition, the film sometimes suffers a bit from the slow pace and the fact that Winters doesn’t really have an inviting narrative voice.

‘Down to Earth’ is a well-crafted and inspiring film, whose message deserves a large viewership. On the other hand, the insights that the documentary provides us will not be so new and revolutionary for people who are already familiar with the animistic ideas of the world’s natural peoples.