Fuck for Forest

A documentary that's equal parts memoir and exposé, it focuses on an NGO that promotes nudity and sex to raise money to protect nature by saving the rainforest. They go to save the planet right from the streets of Berlin to the vastness of the Amazon, they want to buy a piece of forest there and save the indigenous population from the West. As demented (in everything) as its' characters and I'm not calling it as a bad thing, but this is a cringe-fest like no other. It is a very interesting documentary and at the same time very cloudy. We see a quirky neo-hippies, not even interested in money, trying to achieve nirvana of pseudo-intellectual enjoyment mixing enlightened remarks and want to reconnect with pagan sexuality in the eco-porn quest to raise money for indigenous people. But quickly the group faces personal dilemmas as they travel across the globe to raise funds by selling porn. On the one hand, they want to be uninhibited and free spirited, but on the other, they can't stand the criticisms pointed at them. The sexual liberation and the feeling of being surrounded by nudity as celebration and normality is nothing new and i can call this as another group that is frenzied by the nude friendly idea and for the love of mother earth. This reminded me of Three Miles North of Molkom (2008) which is artistically much better than this. Overall, this is worth a watch and give it a shot with an open mind, it doesn't matter if you're sober or drunk probably makes no difference at all to view the documentary.

I'm having a hard time understanding the true goals of this group. They are aware of ecological breakdown, aware that pornography sells quite well. And yet somehow, as do so many starry eyed hippies, they have failed to see the hypocrisy of their efforts. What is the biggest threat to ecology? Humankind. Where are all these humans coming from? How are they created? Aiding ecology through selling porn is like selling bombs to stop warfare. I'm baffled and immensely amused. The documentary itself is poorly structured and backfires to such a staggering extent, that one (this reviewer) can clearly see the moral of this modern fable: Intentions are nothing without knowledge and wisdom. As to why the group went on to market the documentary could only be an attempt to make (back?) some money and probably console themselves. "we did good, right? didn't we...guys?" What's next? "Drown for Oceans", "Doping for Sobriety". In the end, I would recommend this documentary as an object lesson to any NGO, particularly small, distorted, egotistical ones. Two stars for educational (how not to raise funds, make a documentary) value.

Firstly, each of their lives is clearly a young person's life, devoid of responsibility and the pressing constraints of normal societal mores, values & boundaries. What they'll one future day put on their CV's, when they eventually stop being young and need more sustenance than dumpsters provide, is anyone's guess! Nonetheless, their chosen life is in fact only possible when young - not having to worry about health, back pains and retirement plans, all easy when young. But as a short term choice, their North-western European Eco-collective, as wackily irresponsible as it may first seem, still somehow makes absolute sense - or, at least, to those who live it. That much is clear from this reality/documentary. Just how they manage to bond together is fascinating to watch. They somehow find meaning in their lives in a way that most couldn't possibly understand nor even want to do so. No wonder the other reviewers to date hated this documentary. Many just won't get it.

Having said that, I couldn't help thinking, while watching this, that here we have the modern day renaissance of the once failed 'hippie dream', fueled by utopian ideals of saving the trees, worshipping mother nature etc. Yet, when either old age, or the mounting demands of being human among humans, set in, then the dream ends: alas, almost always by middle age.

But for the time being, why attack them? They mean no harm to others. They may be unconventional to the rest of us, but their ideals and efforts to achieve 'change' are, no matter how largely (if not ultimately) futile, are, at least, admirable in part. Nature does need people who value it more than they value conventional living. We are indeed taking more from the planet than we are giving back. And there really is too much waste and pollution of precious resources. Could you honestly take exception to anyone who works (however futile such may be) to try and effect at least some ecological change? What's more, much as it could be easy simply to dismiss them as a bunch of idiots, they evidently aren't. What unifies them more than anything else, is a fanatical desire for ecological change & social cohesion. Again, if you think about it, despite their going about same in a 'different way', there is still arguably much wayward method to their apparent madness.

Watch this documentary with an open mind, and try to remember that they mean no harm to others. For if you can keep unbiased mind, you might even find this documentary - which provides glimpses into the protagonists' daringly alternative lives - to be, dare I suggest, interesting. As someone who is no longer young, I'll admit that I still found this to be a compelling documentary; not because I'd ever choose their lifestyle, but because they are still interesting to observe from afar, in all this film's unpolished, and at times charming, candour. Now... I finish my review without even mentioning that four letter 'f' word. Why? Because you might also find that there is a lot more to this reality/documentary than that.

My vote is mostly based on content, not on quality. The producer (clearly not one of the group) made a great documentary which exposed this complete sham, bizarre NGO money making machine. I agree with the second reviewer, they used emotionally and psychologicaly week individuals in order to earn money. I would not be surprised if someone sues them in the future. Rumor has it that the male part of the duo disapeared with the loot, tough luck, now the young lady needs to find other suckers. The amazonian tribe reacted accordingly to these pieces of human trash and you can see their perplexity on the screen. Once again, great director's cut, bad content due to human elements involved and bad movie structure. How can you make something coherent with subjects in question. The director did his best, I admire him for that.