And We Go Green Review: Eco Popcorn Flick

And We Go Green is a shallow documentary that doesn’t say much about any of its topics but has enough thrills to make it a disposable racing flick. 

Electric cars have come a long way from being ugly vehicles powered by cellphone batteries, but not far enough to replace their gas-powered equivalent. Formula E wants to change this by racing with clean-energy technology in hopes that its breakthroughs will trickle down into ordinary cars, like how innovations from Formula 1 changed the automotive industry.

And We Go Green is able to convey this ethos through a lightweight and energetic documentary but doesn’t have enough to make a lasting impression.

The Leonardo Di Caprio produced documentary does hit the right notes. Director Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville highlight the interesting components of Formula E – a technology race with Formula 1 castaways.

Editor Gabriel Rhodes assembles together character profiles, interviews, and racing footage and amplifies its effect. And We Go Green mixes the thrilling dose of a racing competition with the hopeful endeavor of technological innovation.

This dual approach is also its weakness. The narrative alternates between an ad for green technology and a highlight reel for Season 2017/18.

There are interesting bits and pieces here, such as the fact that the idea behind Formula E was driven by business rather than environmental reasons and its drivers are using the championship for redemption from Formula 1.

None of these storylines have enough time to develop so the documentary becomes shallow. While the human stories prevent it from being another branding exercise, they aren’t complex enough to be a good drama about racers. At the same time, it doesn’t have enough to be a compelling environmental film that at times, its statements about a clean-energy future seem pretentious.

Overall, And We Go Green is enough to perk up your idle mind during this quarantine. The documentary doesn’t have much to say, but its core subject is making an effort to move the needle on sustainability.