In a bold cinematic manoeuvre that feels both terrifyingly timely and darkly comedic, filmmaker Josh Appignanesi turns his camera on the circus of contradictions that was COP28 in Dubai. Colossal Wreck isn't just a documentary; it's a damning indictment of the global climate conversation, where rhetoric and reality exist in parallel universes.
The Unlikely Climate Warrior
Appignanesi arrives at the UN's flagship climate conference not as an environmental expert, but as a self-described "neurotic, meat-eating, flying Jew" – an everyman grappling with his own complicity in the very system he's critiquing. This personal framing transforms the film from a dry political analysis into a deeply human, often uncomfortably relatable journey.
A Carnival of Contradictions
The film masterfully captures the surreal atmosphere of a climate summit hosted by a petrostate, where:
- Delegates discuss emission reductions while surrounded by energy-guzzling air conditioning
- Oil executives position themselves as climate saviours
- The language of sustainability masks business-as-usual practices
One particularly chilling sequence reveals how climate discourse has been co-opted by corporate interests, creating what the film suggests is a "theatre of action" rather than meaningful change.
Personal Crisis Meets Planetary Emergency
Appignanesi weaves his own psychological unraveling throughout the narrative, drawing parallels between his mental state and the planet's ecological crisis. His conversations with wife Devorah Baum add a raw, domestic dimension to the global drama unfolding in conference halls.
The film poses uncomfortable questions: Can meaningful change emerge from such compromised spaces? Are we all participating in a collective performance of concern while the planet burns?
A Cinematic Punch to the Gut
While the subject matter could easily descend into despair, Appignanesi maintains a darkly comic tone that makes the bitter medicine go down easier. The film doesn't offer easy solutions, but it achieves something more valuable: it holds up a mirror to our collective climate denial and the gap between what we say and what we do.
Colossal Wreck stands as essential viewing for anyone who cares about the planet's future – a provocative, intelligent, and deeply human exploration of the mess we're in, and the even bigger mess of our attempts to solve it.
