''Bigger Than Us'' is a 2021 French

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

produced and directed by

Flore Vasseur Flore Vasseur (born 1973) is a French film director, screenwriter, film producer, novelist, journalist and entrepreneur. Her first feature-length documentary film, '' Bigger Than Us'', premiered in the ''Cinema for the Climate'' section at the 2 ...

, co-produced by

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions. She has received ...

, and written by Vasseur and

Melati Wijsen Melati Riyanto Wijsen (born 2000) and Isabel Wijsen (born 6 November 2002) are Indonesian climate activists. The two sisters are known for their efforts to reduce plastic consumption in Bali. The sisters were born in Bali to Dutch and Indonesian ...

. The film made its world premiere at the

2021 Cannes Film Festival The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American director Spike Lee was invited to be the head of the jury for the festival for a second time, after t ...

in the special section ''Cinema for the Climate'' on 10 July 2021. It was released theatrically in France by Jour2fête on 22 September 2021. It was nominated for the

César Award for Best Documentary Film The César Award for Best Documentary Film (french: César du meilleur film documentaire) is an award presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma since 1995. History In 1995, director Marcel Ophüls protested that his film, t ...

in 2022.

Plot

The documentary follows

, an 18-year-old Indonesian girl and well-established activist against plastic pollution in her country. She wants to understand how to hold on and continue her action, so she goes on to meet six other young activists across the globe.

Cast

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez ( ; born May 9, 2000), also known by the initial X, is an American environmental activist and hip hop artist. Martinez was formerly the Youth Director of Earth Guardians until 2019. Martinez has spoken about the effe ...

Memory Banda Memory Banda (born September 24, 1996) is a Malawian children's rights activist who has drawn international attention for her work in opposition to child marriage. Early life Banda was born in Mzimba District and grew up in Chiradzulu Distr ...

* René Silva * Mohamad Al Jounde * Mary Finn * Winnie Tushabe

Release

The film made its world premiere at the

74th Cannes Film Festival The 74th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 6 to 17 July 2021, after having been originally scheduled from 11 to 22 May 2021. American director Spike Lee was invited to be the head of the jury for the festival for a second time, after t ...

in the special section ''Cinema for the Climate'' on 10 July 2021. It was released theatrically in France by Jour2fête on 22 September 2021.

Reception

Critical response

AlloCiné, a French cinema website, gave the film an average rating of 3.3/5, based on a survey of 12 French reviews.

Home media

The film was released on DVD in France on 1 February 2022. The extras include an interview with director Flore Vasseur, a debate with Mary Finn and Mohamad Al Jounde, a podcast and the webseries "It starts with you".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2021 films 2021 documentary films 2021 independent films French documentary films French independent films Documentary films about environmental issues Documentary films about refugees Documentary films about forests and trees Films shot in Colorado Films shot in Greece Films shot in Malawi Films shot in Uganda Films shot in Lebanon Films shot in Rio de Janeiro (city) 2020s English-language films English-language French films 2020s French films