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The Age of Commercialism

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely the worst movie.

The "Gringo Trails" documentary overall deals with a topic that is appropriate for anyone and addresses issues that need to be exposed to everyone. However, the film does include content that would not be appropriate for certain viewers. The intended audience appears to be those who are capable and enthused to travel. It is clear the projected message is, when traveling, be respectful and considerate of the people and the culture. The change is to cut down on tourism in places that cannot handle it. Mass tourism can ruin a community or a location. Prior to viewing this documentary, I didn't know anything about the effects of mass tourism and honestly was not expecting to see any major repercussions of this occurrence. However, using interviews and beautiful raw footage of Bolivia, Thailand, and other locations, this film addresses real problems and inclines you to desire change. I was most impacted by the part of the film intended to inform how quickly destruction of an area can occur, and the facts shocked me.

Gringo Trails explores the positives and negatives effects of one of the largest growing industries in the world, tourism. This film documentary, directed by Pegi Vail, follows backpackers through their adventures in the Amazon through countries in South America. The film shares the story of a young, college backpacker named Yossi Ghinsberg who ends up lost in the Amazon Rainforest of Bolivia. He is recused almost a month later and writes a book about it. The book is published and tourists began flocking to this area. The film opens with a quote from Chief Seattle that says, "Take only memories. Leave nothing but footprints". Several natives, tour guides, and travel writers are interviewed about how the influx of tourist and how it has effected their daily lives and how these tourist have disturbed their environments. The film reveals shots of liter-filled beaches of exclusive destinations that have become overrun by tourists. The documentary does include subtitles, which can be distracting, but it sometimes in necessary given the speaker. It is very educational and shows what can happen when a destination becomes too popular.

The film Gringo Trails allows the audience to see the real effects of tourism and a new perspective of the problems that it causes on both a local and global scale. It informs us of the evolving industry of tourism as well as the negative impacts that it has on the environment. This documentary shows the far off places of the Bolivian jungle, the beaches of Thailand, the deserts of Timbuktu, Mali, and Bhutan. These locations that were once hidden gems have been transformed over the years and turned it into an unauthentic experiences. Gringo Trails does an amazing job of pointing out that when visiting a foreign country, you are a 'guest' and should act as one.

This movie is extremely well done. It takes a little known subject: the effect that certain clueless, entitled young travelers have on fragile eco-systems around the world. Some of the footage is pretty disturbing-- you really hope someone will come along and throw these unbelievably spoiled people in jail or punish them somehow. You wonder how they can be so consumed by their own shallowness and lack of sensitivity. The film is a pretty devastating look at human behavior at its most awful and it explores how some previously exploited parts of the world are taking control and setting limits in order to preventively preserve their fragile environments and cultures. The filmmakers deserve a lot of praise for their elegant filmmaking style and for commenting so succinctly on the best and worst aspects of the human condition.