Directed by: Michał Marczak
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Seduced by the „low fidelity” look of amateur videos produced by a Berlin-based community of sex-activists, Michał Marczak hasn’t rested on his laurels after completing the multi-award winning documentary Koniec Rosji (At The Edge of Russia, 2011). In his directorial debut Marczak focused on daily interactions in a Russian unit assigned to a military base on the isolated Taymyr Peninsula.
For his new project, Marczak spent a year in very close contact with the backbone of Fuck for Forest (FFF) – a non-profit environmental organisation – before filming their activities. Since 2004 FFF members have made Internet porn accessible through a monthly subscription to fund sustainability projects in the Amazonian rainforest.
After investigating the emptiness of military rhetoric in an uninhabited piece of land, Marczak shows once again demonstrates his genuine and non-voyeuristic interest in scrutinising group dynamics. This Polish-German co-production is anything but the success story of a non-governmental organisation. The FFF crew eventually travels to Amazonia where they see the donation of the land they have purchased refused by the Bora tribe.
Fuck for Forest can be regarded partly as a tale of disenchantment and the dreams of the eco-activists abruptly shattered in the jungle. Marczak’s penchant for narrativity suggests that he will pursue a brilliant career in fictional cinema. The documentary will be released shortly in theatres across Norway, Great Britain and Germany.
Originally published by The Krakow Post on January 1, 2012