Planet In Focus '18 Film Review - Ground War

Environmental filmmaker Andrew Nisker brings his most personal inquisitive story to the screen. His inspiration for the piece was sparked by the death of his father Harold who was the healthiest person Andrew knew.  Harold ate well, was into supplements before it was a thing golfed just about every day for forty years and was a ski guide well into his eighties. Then Harold was diagnosed with the very rare Mantle cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma that took his life and Andrew wanted to know why.

The director began to examine the elements in his dad's life. the medical records all stated that he was very fit. He talked to some experts that pointed him in the direction of something in his dad's environment might be the culprit. The first potential answer was household cleaners considering the toxic ingredients mixed into many on the market.  The second and most compelling was pesticides possibly from Harold's beloved game of golf.

Andrew begins to look into the chemicals used to keep golf courses so green and pristine at his father's old club then golf courses in general. He comes across a pesticide 2.4-D in general use that happens to be one of the two major components for Agent Orange that came to prominence during the Vietnam War as a tool to clear the trees in Vietnam allowing the American troops to see where the enemy was hiding.  The director also learned that the rules in Canada for golf courses are different from the rest of the public. Many dangerous pesticides that are banned elsewhere are allowed on the golf course.

The narrative explores the use of these chemicals on both sides of the border with our investigator going as far as the Bahamas and Scotland to gather information. The conclusion is nothing definitive but a higher rate of cancers to people in close proximity or regular uses of these products are a fact. Farmers and golf course groundskeepers are two central groups plus the products have a direct impact on human beings and the ecosystems nearest their concentrated use.  Harold who golfed just about every Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday while he worked then 6 days a week in retirement may have been a victim alongside children that play on playgrounds, sports fields and in some jurisdiction, their own front and back yards that pesticides makers boast their products make living room beautiful.

*** 1/2  Out of 4.

Ground War | Andrew Nisker | Canada / Bahamas / U.S.A. / U.K. | 2018 | 78 Minutes.

Tags: Cosmetic Pesticides, Golf, 2,4-D, Cancer, Lymphoma, Bahamas, Coral Reef, Evasive Algae, Links Land, Chlorothalonil, Bensulide, Dicamba, Dow, Syngenta, Bayer, Silent Spring