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Written by 
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
On Saturday I saw the Los Angeles premiere of WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? at the LA Film Festival. The film chronicles the history of the electric car, and examines how the movement to popularize these alternative vehicles was systematically destroyed by the U.S. Government, the state of California, automobile companies, and gas and oil interests. If this sounds like a boring time at the movies THINK AGAIN. This film is smart, sharp and entertaining. It is incredibly well made by director Chris Paine, himself an electric car owner.
The film presents the issue not only from a political standpoint, but a human one. That is what makes it so compelling. The people involved in this saga are not mere bystanders. You get to know them personally and relate to the emotions they are experiencing. Even the electric cars in the film almost seem to have their own personalities. As we see the car owners agonizing over and mourning the eventual destruction of their vehicles, we not only sympathize with their loss, we feel as if we have lost something ourselves. When the filmmaker shows footage from a “funeral” at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery staged by the owners one such vehicle, the moment is profoundly moving rather than ironic and humorous.
Fortunately the film also offers optimism and hope. It is a call to action for anyone who cares about the environment and the future of our planet to DO SOMETHING about it. I loved this film. At the screening I attended, it received a standing ovation, and I was standing and clapping along with the rest of the audience. This is an excellent and important film that must be seen!
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? opens on June 28th. Please don’t let this film slip through the cracks. It deserves to find an audience and a film like this has incredible power to affect change and to make a difference. The official website is also an excellent resource to find information and details about how you can take action.
Appropriately, as I was driving home from the screening, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you’re not outraged, then you’re NOT paying attention.” I couldn’t agree more.
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