La Belle Verte imagines a world of harmonious existence

Utopianism and dystopianism are themes often found in today’s movies, especially considering the increased awareness of the damage done to the Earth by human activities. Often enough, these utopias depict a society of people who live in harmony with the world around them, practicing symbiotic relationships with the flora and fauna they share space with. In contract, the reciprocal dystopias are often disconnected from the earth, using its resources to benefit themselves without giving anything in return.

'La Belle Verte', a 1996 French film starring and directed by Coline Serreau, certainly fits within this genre. As a comedic critique of Earth’s consumption habits, general environmental disconnectivity, and the mindset of superiority towards the planet they rely on, La Belle Verte certainly causes viewers to question the approach that we humans take toward our home planet. The title of this film, which can be translated to ‘The Beautiful Green’, refers to the home planet of the main character Mila. On this utopian planet, they live according to the rhythms of the environment around them, are able to naturally reach ages of almost 300 years, and are considered to be of an elevated mind. Communication to other planets is possible through telepathy, and as is seen later in the film, they have the power to cause awakenings of the mind through their interactions with others who have not reached the same elevation.

Mila, half earthling herself, volunteers at the yearly planetary meeting to visit Earth in order to assess its progress as it is certainly overdue. Noone has visited this planet in over 200 years due to its pollution and general assessment as a danger, contrasting the utopianism of Mila’s home planet with the dystopianism of Earth. It is even revealed that Jesus, apparently a former resident of the Beautiful Green, was crucified during his trip to assess Earth. Upon her arrival in Paris, everyone she interacts with experiences a mental awakening, causing them to question the world and the systems they live in. Even simple interactions cause this mental switch, leading to thrown cakes, shoes and socks left in the middle of the streets, and spontaneous tree-hugging. As someone who is used to a fresh and clean environment, Mila coughs her way through the city of Paris, using her mental power to ‘disconnect’ the people of earth from their normal way of thinking and toward a compassionate and open mindset. Will we eventually find ourselves ‘disconnecting’ from our current views to find ourselves hugging the trees we pass on our daily commute?