I Am Greta: Up Close, Extremely Personal Doc on Teen Follows Global Crusade for Future

By Karen Gordon

Rating: A

Documentarian Nathan Grossman begins his I Am Greta with a perfect visual metaphor for this young environmentalist. To wit: Greta Thunberg, looking both steely and vulnerable, is alone at the rear of a small boat,  somewhere in the Atlantic, the rugged sea behind her. 

 In voice-over we hear her thoughts about how the last few months of her life have seemed more like a dream or a movie than real life. 

Greta Thunberg and her following, protesting for the planet.

The story of how a 15-year-old schoolgirl sitting in front of the Swedish Parliament with a hand-written sign became one of the most compelling speakers on the issue of climate change and climate justice - and what that cost her - is told in the compelling, inspiring and surprisingly moving documentary I am Greta.

By any metric, the now 17-year-old Greta Thunberg has already lived a remarkable life. She’s the face of the modern environmental movement, and has inspired millions to action. She’s gotten under the skin of some of the world’s most powerful dictators and climate deniers. She’s been repeatedly insulted by Donald Trump, and nominated for the Nobel Prize. It’s been quite a couple of years. 

And fortunately, writer/director Nathan Grossman has been there to document her story almost from the beginning. As he told our Bonnie Laufer, he’d heard about her Friday sit-ins before she’d attracted much attention, and took his camera down to see if there was a story there. 

(Click HERE to read Bonnie Laufer’s interview with Grossman)

It was a lucky hunch.  As Greta’s story started to draw attention from other parts of the world, Grossman was there, recording the story from her point of view.  He was there through all the key moments as she became a public figure. 

In telling her story, Grossman chose to be as invisible as a documentary maker can be, choosing a tone that matches the quiet, often serious Greta. He eschews talking heads and analysts and, instead, gives us Greta’s voice-over thoughts.  We hear Greta talking about her dismay at the state of the climate and the inaction of governments. “They are living as if we have several Earths,” she says early on.

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The result is a quiet, respectful documentary that meets its subject at her own level. Greta is a straightforward, focused, unfussy person, who has the courage of her convictions and a whack of information at her fingertips.  And Grossman has presented her as such, standing back and reflecting her as a serious person. 

Much has been made of the fact that she has a form of autism called Asperger Syndrome, often as a way of diminishing her or writing her off. 

Grossman doesn’t dwell on this, but deals with it right off the top of the film, as she notes that maybe its people with the condition who, “are the only ones who see through the static,” regarding the state of the climate.

There is a co-star in the film, Greta’s father Svante, a superstar in his own right. Very early, we get a sense of their relationship as she’s sitting outside the Parliament, he leans in close to her, telling her he can see she’s not feeling well, and gently encouraging her to get out of the sun or at least to put her hat on.  

As Greta’s campaign catches fire, travels with her, as her de facto aide. He organizes the schedules, and keeps a watchful eye on his daughter’s well-being.  Beyond her activism and unshakeable commitment, they’re a remarkable team, meeting world leaders from Presidents to the Pope. There are no swelled heads in the Thunberg family. The commitment to each other is as powerful a part of the film as her unshakeable commitment to the issue of climate change. 

That lack of ego seems to be a Thunberg trait. He disappears when she’s making her speeches. And as Greta’s star rises, she’s remarkably unchanged. She seems more interested in using her podium to empower others, especially those of her generation, to stand up to the powerful and demand action on an issue many believe is key to the future.

It’s a heavy load and at times, a lonely one for Greta, who, as she rightly tells the United Nations, should be in school, not lecturing them.  

It isn’t all rallies and speeches. Grossman balances the film with lighter moments, and moments of great sweetness. We see Svante trying to convince his daughter to maybe wear something other than her trademark shirt and pants to do a presentation..  

I Am Greta is a wonderful, rich documentary and at points it moved me to tears. At a time in history where responsibility and character (or the absence of that) in leaders around the world is on full display, the film reminds us of what true character and responsibility looks like.

I Am Greta opens October 13 at select theatres across the country, and moves to VOD November 13.