Film Review: ‘Perspective’ from Sarah and Leah Talabi

Sarah and Leah Talabi’s ‘Perspective’ is a documentary film from Changemakers Studios. We have come to expect documentaries in which the subject matter is a prominent public figure, such as ‘Beckham’, a niche job such as ‘Tiger King’, or a historical event such as ‘World War II’. ‘Perspective’ dives off the deep end of traditional documentary topics by choosing the subject matter to be humanity itself. The film holds up a mirror to humanity and forces us to think about the influence our narrow perspective plays in our perception of the world and our proposed solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

The film opens with an aerial shot of a lone man walking in an endless desert, then immediately poses a question to the audience with the text overlay “If perspective is reality, then is reality perspective?” The question is not a riddle but a challenge to answer the question by the end of the film. ‘Perspective’ is a study of the human condition – our yearning for peace yet reluctance to surrender individual ego and self-destructive short-sightedness. The film concludes with spoken word poetry of a poem read forward, then in reverse, taking on new meaning when read the second time. In the end, we see the redeeming qualities of the human condition and a sense of hope that humanity has the capacity to lead with a collective consciousness that can progress society forward.

By Matt Callahan for Cinema Collective Society

About Changemakers Studios

Changemakers Studios is an impact-driven production company creating original documentary films, digital content, and short films that address society’s most pressing issues.