‘Plastic People’ Review – An Expert Social Impact Documentary With A Relevant Core [SXSW 2024]

If you’re looking for a documentary to challenge you, beyond the plain information and presentative nature, look no further than Plastic People. The film purposefully inhibits audience enjoyment, in a way, and it’s fittingly far from chipper; right from the rip, it presents the issue of microplastics in the modern world and the danger they pose to our health as humans, and at large, our world. Of course, we all know that it’s our own fault, but it hurts to hear that. Plastic People bypasses emotions with a brand of brutal honesty that is necessary to bring justice to the problem in this form of coverage. It isn’t a hopeless bout, but it doesn’t sugarcoat anything, either.

The opening is an irresistible, slow-building, baleful hook that pushes quick-cut dire imagery and splintered bits of audio, telling the story of plastic production through time. From something generally exciting and seemingly inventive to an irreversible (to an extent) curse of our own creation, the half-namesake of this documentary is made the center of attention in the beginning. Soon after comes the nail in the introductory coffin, with a somber, overlayed reminder that every bit of plastic we’ve ever created still exists in the world, in one way or another. A shuddering thought, no doubt, and an even more impactful bookend to a succinct opening.

Between the incoming interviews, there are cut-ins of familiar return, where the aspect ratio squeezes in, as it did in the beginning, presiding with a retro feel over the film that provides contextual exposition for the present story that rolls on afterward. It’s a clean showing with defined stylistic inclinations that ensure it stands out; if the fun isn’t in the narrative, it’s in the visual direction, especially in these in-and-out, almost VHS-like sequences.

Talks with researchers and experts over colorful backgrounds fade into lab settings, where scientists break down those talks’ examples and substantiate their points. One memorable scene in particular, among many, asserts microplastics as an actual air pollutant, noting that something as seemingly innocent as the carpets in our homes are releasing them into the air as they’re stirred, or walked on. Being able to look down from your screen at something that is actively harming you, according to the reputable sources in the documentary (as seen by the credentials below their names in frame), is eye-opening.

“Corporations do not have a conscience”, states one woman whose area of living has been heavily impacted by the increasing placement of chemical plants by wider corporations. Plastic People excels when it focuses on the latter of its namesake, the people. Whether it be someone with a say in the issue, or someone simply hurt by it, listening to someone below the big wigs with experience in either manner helps push the issue even further than the documentary’s technical prowess already manages to. It’s a sure attack from all sides, one that should be spread around in similar fashion to the pollutant that it condemns as a potential antidote for the millions of minds who may not be aware of the situation, despite how widespread it has become.

Calling something a “wake-up call” is an overused term, but it works too well here to be ignored. Plastic People is a documentary in quintessential form; well made from a filmmaking standpoint and well told from a purpose perspective. It gets down to the core of a real issue, as well as potential solutions, without pointing fingers or panicking. This is a concise effort that you’d be remiss to miss. See Plastic People however you can, and take the plastic plea to heart. 

Plastic People had its World Premiere at SXSW 2024 in the Documentary Spotlight section.

Directors: Ben Addelman, Ziya Tong

Screenwriter: Ben Addelman

Rated: NR

Runtime: 84m