Tree huggers

Among giants

Risking injury and incarceration, an environmental activist disrupts the clear-cutting of an ancient redwood grove by sitting on a tiny platform up in the tree canopy.

Shot in a lovely, understated style, Among Giants is as much a nature film as it is a socially conscious one. Apart from select sections, the movie exists almost entirely without a musical score, opting instead for the ambient sounds of the forest to comprise the soundtrack.

It’s clear that the creators are encouraging all to embrace individualism, to retreat back into all the transcendental glory that nature can offer. In the words of Emerson, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” And, so Farmer and his comrades do just that—patiently wait amongst the treetops, sitting peacefully to stop destruction. As the film climaxes—as one of the few noticeable musical cues hits—we are treated to gorgeous aerial cinematography, juxtaposing both the beauty of the existing forestland with the elegiac destruction of logged areas.