The Great European Disaster Movie

Feb 16 2015 N/A 1h 27m
Documentary

2014-2015: 17. The Great European Disaster Movie Authored documentary by Italian director Annalisa Piras and former editor of The Economist Bill Emmott, which explores the crisis facing Europe. Through case studies of citizens in different countries, the film explores a range of factors that have led to the present crisis, economic and identity challenges across Europe. High-level experts analyse how and why things are going so wrong. The film includes fictional scenes, set in a post-EU future, which feature archaeologist Charles Granda (played by Angus Deayton) travelling on a flight through a menacing storm, explaining to a child passenger what the EU was. Sombre, thought-provoking and witty, the film frames Europe through the eyes of those who have most at stake - the Europeans themselves.

Plot

30,000ft: sometime in the not-so-distant future. Eight year old Jane Monetti sits aboard an aeroplane destined for Berlin Tempelhof, but all is not well. Far below her is a post-Union Europe and countries that collaborated happily at the beginning of the 21st Century are regressing into a fractious collection of isolated nation-states. Scared by the turbulence, Jane strikes-up a conversation with archeologist, Charles Granda (played by Angus Deayton): he is about to give a lecture on the EU and he begins to explain to her what the European Union was and also what has been lost since its collapse. We rewind to 2014 and Annalisa Piras's film goes on to examine current-day Europe and the challenges that are mounting against the Union's survival. Beset by growing nationalism and an increasing dissatisfaction with its undemocratic political structure will Europe descend into the apocalyptic future presented at the beginning of the film? Using interviews, archival footage and an innovative combination of documentary and drama, Piras constructs a picture of a Europe that is worth fighting for. Following six different European individuals and their stories, she shows the immense positives of a Union that has prevented major wars since the fall of Nazi Germany but also highlights that it is an organisation in need of major reform. Subtle, profound and witty, The Great European Disaster Movie is far more than just a political film. Instead, it frames Europe through the eyes of those who are most important to its success: the Europeans themselves.

Written by

Annalisa Piras

Directed by

Annalisa Piras

Cast

Angus Deayton, Flavia Piras Trow, John Arthur

Crew

View crew

Production Companies

ARTE, BBC, Springshot Productions

Languages

svenska, Italiano, Deutsch, Français, English, Hrvatski

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
210
Average Rating
6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA