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Once Upon a Forest

Once Upon a Forest

2013

Director

Luc Jacquet

Runtime

78 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

With Once Upon a Forest, Luc Jacquet invites the spectator into a never-before-seen world of natural wonder and staggering beauty. “For the first time, we will be able to watch a rain forest growing before our eyes…Only cinema can offer this unique voyage into a completely untamed universe, a world of perfect balance in which each living thing – from the smallest to the largest – plays an essential role. The film will deliver a complete sensory immersion in the primaeval splendor of one of nature’s richest mysteries, inviting the audience to enter, discover and marvel at a universe of untold treasures while joining its voice to the ever-growing awareness of the need to preserve our world.”

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.6/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film focuses on non-human biological processes rather than human social identities. It utilizes a naturalist lens instead of a sociological one, leaving the category neutral.

Gender Representation

Fair

Lacking human protagonists, the film bypasses traditional gender hierarchies. Agency is distributed among various species, de-centering human masculinity or femininity in favor of biological imperatives.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

The documentary operates in a non-human context. It avoids anthropocentric racial hierarchies by presenting species diversity as a functional necessity for ecosystem stability.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The narrative challenges anthropocentric worldviews by prioritizing the forest's voice. It frames the natural world as a sophisticated, self-regulating system independent of human morality.

Disability Representation

Fair

Biological struggles are depicted through natural selection rather than a social model of disability. This avoids using biological struggle as a mere plot device or inspiration porn.

Strengths

  • Deconstructs the human-as-center trope by elevating non-human agency.
  • Challenges anthropocentric worldviews by prioritizing ecological voices.
  • Promotes a post-humanist perspective that views nature as a sovereign system.

Areas for Improvement

  • Does not engage with human social identities or identity politics.
  • Lacks representation of human social constructs like gender or race.

AI Analysis

Luc Jacquet’s documentary shifts the cinematic lens away from human-centric structures toward a complex, interconnected biological ecosystem. By elevating the agency of non-human entities, the film disrupts the expectation that cinema must revolve around human social hierarchies. The work functions as a meditation on ecological balance. It frames the environment as a sovereign entity rather than a resource to be managed, aligning with progressive environmental ethics. While the film does not engage with human identity politics, it performs a significant deconstruction of the 'human-as-center' trope through its immersive, sensory-driven narrative.

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