Guest Review: The Island President

Choking on Greed

As an avid viewer of documentaries I find myself seeing more and more evidence that we as a species are in the process of killing ourselves....

The documentaries Chasing Ice, Trashed, and most recently Island President...  all show compelling scientific evidence that global change is not a debate. It’s real and it’s the one single issue that will define this age. I challenge anyone not to feel an immense sense of guilt when he delivers a speech to the UN, President Mohamed Nasheed, rightfully states that while he tells of the horrors that no doubt await his home nation the world is “just not listening”.

Island President begins with the story of change in the oasis that is the Maldives. Stunningly beautiful island paradise that would appear to be the day spa to the stars.

If you are on twitter, or facebook (and I know you are) you will have unknowingly seen photographs of the wood cabins that sit atop stilts above the crystal clear Indian Ocean that provides the stress reducing white noise. In short it’s heaven.

Heaven to me and most other visitors who would arrive ditching my mobile at the front door, flipping my ipad into ‘porn only’ mode, grabbing a few beers, and entering a week long semi drunk sun tanned existence draped over a towel mentally solving the world’s problems. Slightly less heaven, however, for those that endured circa 30 years of dictatorship by Gayoom and slightly less still by those same citizens who were living on a nation that was sinking... seriously, like it’s a country that is going to fucking sink. Mr. Bourdain, if you haven’t yet gone... go. Like a college freshman’s virginity and a VW "sign and drive deal"... it won’t be around for long.

On a personal level I found it to be a very compelling and well presented film. In a week where the world is depressingly getting closer to losing one of it’s best citizens in Nelson Mandella, it was refreshing to see that we have a generation who have taken his baton and ran with it. President Nasheed leads from the front and leads with class and dignity. As a small nation he challenges the likes of India, China, and the US on their climate policies. Not just that... but he outlines ways in which they can while at the same time maintaining their individual need to rule the world.

They can have it... all he cares about is his small group of islands that as things stands will become the next Atlantis.

I don’t want to ruin the ending for you but for more than one reason you’ll find yourself saying “no...that can’t be it” the once curious aspect was that our hero President smokes, I guess perfection even eludes him.

- Wil