Spaceship Earth
“Spaceship Earth” is a film for this time and place in more ways than director Matt Wolf no doubt expected when he set out to tell the story of Biosphere 2. I vaguely remember Biosphere 2 from when I was younger (most people probably remember the Pauley Shore comedy, “Bio-Dome,” more), as it was at a time when the environment, and climate change, became something that was discussed. With “social distancing” and the COVID-19 pandemic, however, keeping much of the world at home, there’s another dynamic that makes this film essential viewing, which is the idea of spending prolonged time with people in one place, and the tensions that can arise from that. Maybe we can empathize a bit more with the team that spent two years in Biosphere 2 than we would have otherwise.
What would life be like away off the Earth? If we make it to a point where we are inhabiting new worlds, which are not necessarily ecologically similar to Earth, how would it be for us to live with other people? Could we do that? These are some of the questions that were posed by a collective of scientists, artists and others who, in the 1980s, decided to embark on an expedition to try a build an ecologically-friendly atmosphere that could sustain life, human life and otherwise, for two years. Eight people would go in, and they were led by one man, John Allen. Biosphere 2, a 3-acre structure that was built in Arizona, was the result. Would they be able to rely solely on what they took in with them for two years? Would they be able to stand one another? Those answers were two of the most complicated of all.
The more fascinating aspects, which will probably stand out the most to viewers, will be to see how Biosphere 2 goes wrong, and then, gets co-opted into something for profit rather than research by vultures like Steve Bannon (yes, the same), and admittedly, it’s where the biggest sources of tension in the film arise. But “Spaceship Earth” is a great look at how a community of thinkers, who were coming of age at a time of great exploration, and found their moment when the environment was becoming an important discussion to have, come together, and strives for greatness and something for the betterment of mankind, and how it fails, but not because of its ideas, but because of execution, and how important it is to continue striving. Yes, Biosphere 2 didn’t work at that time- part of it was because of human nature, part of it was because of logistics both in, and out, of their control- but if your biggest takeaway is about the failure of Biosphere 2, and not about the issues it presents, which have not left us (and have only been exasperated as nearly 30 years of inaction), one might to want to look again at what this reveals. We still have work to do to make the future brighter; we have to have the imagination and determination to do it. John Allen’s group had it in 1991; they’re still trying to figure it out now. That’s an inspiring thing to take away from this film.
