This is such a great short film. Sometimes our personal or even global issues can seem so utterly infantile when you consider the obscurity of our existence on this planet we call Earth. Seeing Earth hanging in darkness is an eye opening experience, coming to the realization that it’s delicate, fragile and lonely in the vastness of space.
The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.
‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.
