Original-Cin Q&A: I Am Greta director recalls pointing his camera at a lone activist and following the family through a media storm
We all know of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg - a climate change activist determined to change the world, but do we really KNOW her?
In the new documentary, I Am Greta (being released this week in cities where theatres remain open) filmmaker Nathan Grossman takes us behind the scenes of Greta’s life and gives us incredible insights into this young girl’s life and what she has endured to make our planet a better place to live.
Greta’s story is told through compelling, never-before-seen footage in this intimate documentary. Starting with her one-person school strike for climate action outside the Swedish Parliament, Grossman follows Greta—a shy student with Asperger Syndrome—in her rise to prominence, and chronicles her global impact as she sparks school strikes around the world.
Where it all started. Lone activist Greta Thunberg
The film also follows her wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York City.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Nathan Grossman from his home in Sweden about making this documentary and about what he learned about Greta in the process.
ORIGINAL-CIN: I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t heard of Greta Thunberg. This documentary gives us such an in-depth look at her life and the access that you got is incredible.
NATHAN GROSSMAN: “There were no restrictions and the access that I got from Greta and her family was unprecedented.”
OC: She was nominated again this year for the Nobel Peace Prize. Quite remarkable.
GROSSMAN: “I remember when she got nominated for last year's Nobel Peace Prize. We were in an elevator at one of the offices of a newspaper in Sweden, and she was planning another strike. So I was there covering it with her.
“I remember she got a text from someone telling her that she had been nominated and she reacted in a very matter of fact way, ‘Oh, ok.’ That's really her way of saying that she doesn't need more prizes, she needs action.”
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OC: There's no question that Greta has made an impact in our world. But what I found so interesting about this documentary is that you started to film her from the very first day she began her sit-in front of Parliament. You saw this young girl with a sign, sitting outside of Parliament who you took a chance on, not knowing what her life and yours would become.
GROSSMAN: “I know. It's one of those things when I can pinch myself in the arm for the serendipity of me deciding to go down there and start filming her actions.
“I got a tip from a friend that knew her family, who told me that she was going to do some small kind of manifestation for the Swedish election. So I spoke to my boss and pitched that I go down there, give it one or two days and see if it's worth it.
“Because I think as documentary filmmakers, that's the only way to do it. You look through the camera and see if there's anything worthwhile. So I went down there and asked her if I could join, and said, ‘Don't get your hopes up in this. I might not be here tomorrow, because it might not turn into anything.’ But, as it turned out, I continued filming from there and from then on , it was non-stop.”
OC: it’s astounding to see, not just what she went through and her determination and her will, but that her family uprooted everything to support her mission. I was very touched by the relationship that she had with her father who stood by her every step of the way.
I Am Greta director Nathan Grossman
GROSSMAN: “I didn't know anything of the family. But when Greta started to travel on these long journeys through Europe, I asked if I could join. And that was the first time when I really got to spend time with her and her dad.
“Being in the car with them and hearing their conversations, I felt very early on that they had such an interesting relationship. It's also a part of the film and part of the story that isn't climate-change-focused in a sense that I think everyone can relate to.
“I myself recognize this from when I was a teen and my relationship with my parents. On the one hand you want them to leave you alone, but at the same time, you can have fun with them and like to have them close by. So I think that ultimately her family became a big part of the story.”
O.C: What did you learn about Greta that surprised you?
GROSSMAN: “From the beginning I recognized that she had this duality, a shy personality but also a very public person when she needed to be. I was so impressed by how she was able to speak so clearly about the issues and how she spent so much time reading up on, not just article,s but also going to the sources and the facts and really wanting to get to the heart of the issue. Then taking this very complicated message and making it something that was understandable.
“I did a lot of interviews with her. And the voiceover in the film is from the interviews and some of her diary notes. I remember when I did those interviews and I would bike home, I kept some of those formulations that she had in her own diary. She has a way of condensing things down and skipping the bullshit and going to the facts.”
O.C: You also show how she deals with her detractors, the people who constantly put her down for what she was doing. What was it like to be with her and her family when they hear this kind of stuff?
GROSSMAN: “I was very interested in that aspect. But then there is a scene that did play out in the film that shows some of this, and it was very interesting to watch her relationship to it.
“She has this way of dealing with some of this criticism, which is interesting in the sense that, if you look at some of these comments, they are almost like a fine line between what is humor and what is hate that sounds so ridiculous she actually laughs about it.”
O.C: It’s fascinating seeing Greta with world leaders and their reactions to her.
GROSSMAN: “The great thing is that you can’t stage these reactions – you just have to press record on the camera. All the time and energy you put into a work like this – these were the pay-off moments for sure.”
O.C: Another thing we discover about Greta is that she will not get on a plane. To get to New York, when she was invited to the United Nations conference, you all took a wind powered boat from the U.K. to the United States. How did you fare on that trip?
GROSSMAN: “Honestly, I must admit that I was actually the one who was most scared and most seasick. You never know when it comes to these kinds of adventures, who takes it best.
“I was so scared, and during the trip Greta was off and on. It took her some time to find her sea legs. Actually, she and the Captain or her father had to comfort me. We spent two and a half weeks on that boat and I was pretty shaky.”
O.C. What are you hoping that people take from watching the film and realize about Greta?
GROSSMAN: “It's so interesting to see what Greta, and what many of these youth movements, have done in the sense of raising awareness for this issue of Climate Change and being an alarm bell.
“I think we should be grateful for them being the alarm bell, but also then seeing this isn't really the responsibility of children. This is a responsibility for us as adults. The fact that they have to go out and strike is the product of us not listening and taking responsibility.
“So I think we should listen more to our children, especially when it comes to this issue because they are the ones who are going to live in the future where climate change will hit very hard.”