(optional) GC Wk 11 For Fun: Life in a Day on Planet Earth [20 July 2020] (Eligible for Extra Credit)

Eligible for Extra Credit

Life in a Day (2020)
on Planet Earth
[25 July 2020]
(95 min., 2021)
on-line access Links to an external site.
[click ↑ here]
Wikipedia article Links to an external site.

and

Life in a Day (2010)
[24 July 2010]
(95 min., 2011)
on-line access Links to an external site.
[click ↑ here]
Wikipedia article Links to an external site.

Life in a Day (2020) is a fully crowdsourced documentary depicting precisely one full day on Planet Earth, specifically 25 July 2020, to be exact. Over 300,000 videos were submitted from about 190+ countries, all shot by a broad cross-section of the global population on their smartphones, drones, GoPros and more. The result is a never-ending treasure trove of humanity in its funny, sad, sometimes banal, but always heartwarming glory.

The movie starts with a series of moms-to-be in Brazil, India, Japan, Greece, the UK and more, in active labor, delivering their babies. The joy that each family feels is contagious - and universal. It then jumps straight into a series of smash cuts, one after another, of people waking up and greeting the day. What makes this montage special is that these people come from everywhere, including some of the harshest places to live in, like refugee camps and other isolated areas. Yet, it is a perfect illustration of how everyone on the planet is connected - even if it's just taking part in familiar and somewhat mundane morning routines such as breakfast, showers, milking the goat, cow and more.

These events include the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, various natural disasters, the continued ecological destruction of the planet and more. They all make it seems like 2020 was a hellish year - and that things might not get better anytime soon.

However, the moving images and touching stories that made it into the final cut were not just funny, entertaining, poignant, grounded and real. They also celebrated humanity, a welcome reminder that life doesn't stop, while leaving behind a sense of hope for the future.