Just Do It

A quintessentially British tale of modern day outlaws, this punchy, adrenaline-fuelled doc lifts the lid on climate activism and the troublemakers who dare to cross the line. It follows a host of characters (including the tea maker) as they blockade factories and glue themselves to trading floors of international banks. Offering unprecedented access to the secretive world of the UK’s environmental activists. The temporary 'poo with a view' toilet platform at the newly-erected Climate Camp in Blackheath has a lovely vista of the capitalists at work in the banking tower blocks. Hopefully the view from the other side is equally appreciated. Under the August sun of summer 2009, this peaceful occupation in the name of environmentalism feels less like a protest and more like a festival: children play in the grass and Marina the 'domestic extremist' has the kettle on the boil. But these people are no dippy hippies: with a careful system of code and safeguards under the omnipresent eye of police surveillance, they meet to discuss their next operation. “Who's arrestable?” - a show of waving hands. Welcome to the upbeat, idiosyncratic world of British climate campaigners. This compelling documentary follows the meetings, manoeuvres and marches of this dedicated, hands-on group of people who will do whatever they can to get their message across. They know their rights and use a mixture of wit, intelligence and pragmatism to try and combat the colossal powers they come up against. “Mass civil disobedience shows that laws are unjust – when people are willing to become outlaws to change things,” Cambridge student and activist spokeswoman Sally tells us. But this fresh-faced band of young environmentalists are armed with more than just their ideals: whether they are welding bikes together in Copenhagen before the summit, or constructing arm locks out of tubing so they can blockade RBS headquarters in London, these campaigners are dedicated to making their voices heard – cheerfully, peacefully, and intelligently, but with an insistence that demands the world sit up and take notice. Having felt the 'robocop' force of police brutality, they know that protesting involves more than just taking tea in the sunshine, and they are prepared to do whatever it takes. For more experienced Marina, the question 'does all of this do any good' is a difficult one to answer. Struggling, she frames her response in terms of personal empowerment – direct action is a means of combating not just the unjust powers that be, but the “roll over and die depressing” feeling of big decisions being far out of an individual's control. In this David and Goliath battle, sometimes it has to be enough just to try. And this sunny yet uncompromising documentary shows how, with enough solidarity, inventiveness, commitment and - of course - tea, the little guy can come out smiling.