So how will the world end? Fire? Ice? Or a gradual, institutional erosion of our core values, until society crumbles into paranoia and ruthless self-interest? Even before the financial and environmental news became soul-crushing, pop culture was awash in apocalyptica. But over the past half-decade, the damage wrought by terrorism, counterterrorism, and weather catastrophes has created a heightened sense of urgency. So more and more books and movies are attempting to explain how we got here and where we're going.
Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern's The End Of America adapts Naomi Wolf's book, which compares the historical progression of fascism to what's happened in the United States during the Bush administration. Citing secret prisons, Blackwater, the president's right to declare anyone an "enemy combatant," and surveillance programs that target American citizens, Wolf argues that for much of the past eight years, we've been living in a fascist state, by historical definition. The documentary version of The End Of America cuts between a Wolf speaking engagement and interviews with sympathetic parties, and because Wolf tends to come off as condescending, this movie will probably appeal most to those who want to nod along with her, not those who prefer spirited, thoughtful debate. Still, a lot of The End Of America's points are persuasive—especially when Sundberg and Stern interview journalists and activists who've been detained at airports or thrown in jail, just for opposing the tactics in the Bush/Cheney war on terror.
The End Of America also earns points for looking like an actual, professional documentary, unlike 2012: Science Or Superstition, which consists of a bunch of talking heads, flatly shot on fuzzy video, intercut with computer-animated simulations and stock footage of ancient ruins. Where The End Of America contemplates the decline of one nation, 2012 considers the potential end of the entire world, as the Mayans (possibly) predicted thousands of years ago. The Disinformation Company's DVD runs through various theories: The end will come via solar instability, or a weakening of the Earth's magnetic fields, or the planet wobbling on its axis. Or, more provocatively, "the end times" is more a metaphor, and 2012 will just mean the end of life as we know it, and the ushering in of a new golden age. 2012 offers a useful round-up of all the prevailing ideas about the Mayan calendar, but in keeping with its lo-fi look, the movie is way too credulous. Aside from a few skeptics, the documentary is full of smartly dressed true-believers who sound perfectly reasonable in their speculations, until they present hard evidence like "I had a shaman tell me…"
For those prone to worrying about our imminent demise—be it on a micro or macro scale—there may be comfort in the way that so many doomsayers are either New Age-y crackpots or pedantic assholes. On the other hand, consider this: Just because the self-appointed experts are creeps, that doesn't make them wrong.
Key features: Bonus interviews on both.