‘Titanic Syndrome’ warns of catastrophe

PARIS (Hollywood Reporter) – What might be termed the ultimate disaster movie involves no special effects whatsoever.

“The Titanic Syndrome,” the directing debut of French environmental program-maker-turned-eco-campaigner Nicolas Hulot, is a cinematic attempt to wake viewers up to the calamitous future we’re arguably heading for if we don’t change our ways.


The titular syndrome is simple: Our planet is the doomed oceanliner, and we — in the West, at least — are all busy leading our more-or-less luxurious lives as we sail toward cataclysm. It’s obviously not the first film in recent times to put forward the case for safeguarding Earth, but it promises to look at the issue from a bold perspective.

“We’re at a crossroads of crises: An energy crisis, a food crisis, an economic crisis,” Hulot observes. “We have to look at ourselves as we really are. Our model is not sustainable. It’s this model, based on competition and accumulation, which is the source of much disorder. We have to change and everyone has to be part of that, including those in the developing world.”

Reuters