The opening shot is of a brown plastic bag on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. We hear the voice of famed director Werner Hezog in that thick German accent and his hypnotic, poetic way of speaking. He is our guide throught the eyes of this little insignificant plastic bag who means nothing to anyone, but will live forever.
The world of a plastic bag is not something I would think would peak anyone's interest, when director Ramin Bahrani pitched this as a short film, I could hardly think people were jumping for joy to get behind it. Even when he would say Werner Herzog would be narrating, they would probably think this film couldn't get any weirder.
Yet behind Bahrani's capable hands, he has created a mini-masterpiece of understatement and beauty, at the end of its 18 minute running time, you can actually feel something for this inanimate object. I hardly think anyone else could make you feel anything for this plastic bag, even if it were a cartoon made by Pixar, it would still be more difficult than say talking toys.
What Bahrani does though is find the tragedy in this small story, a plastic bag is something that serves its purpose, the is discarded, but must wait for eternity to decompose.
We see the bag in the beginning of its life in a grocery store, where the super market attendant opens it up, "My first breath" as described by Herzog. The bag is taken home carrying groceries, he recognizes the woman who takes him home as his maker. She uses hims throughout the weeks as something to carry her lunch in, or to use as an icepack for her sore leg.
But pretty soon, the bag outlives its usefulness and after picking up after his master's beastly dog, he is thrown in the trash. He is taken to the trash bin and after being run over by bulldozers discovers his invincibility. After time he takes off on the journey to find his master again.
We see the bag wave around in the wind going from place to place, and perhaps you might not've thought about it but plastic bags do get around. Even when it is caught on a branch and stays there for a long time, the wind moves to a different direction and it is free to roam again. The bag has a brief fling with another red bag and they are filmed together in the sky flying around in a ballet of sorts.
The bag soon learns of a vortex in the Pacific Ocean where there are others of his kind so he will not be so alone, once there he is happy, but he is left with the same feeling of where to live out the rest of his long existence.
"Plastic Bag" is the perfect example of what film can do better than any other medium, taking a small, simple idea like the life of a plastic bag and making it into a very moving, human story.
"Plastic Bag" is a very modest film, it deals with objects and movement, not so much with actors and dialogue, and it uses this to tell its story, it's the very essence of what film is all about. You are still moved by this story and its images enhance it greatly such as seeing the bag fly around with red bag in perfect unison, how could you choreograph that? There is also seeing the bag in the bottom of the ocean where you see it along with the jellyfish that inhabit it. Bahrani is able to film the bag in a very similar fashion as the sea creatures and to us it looks to be alive.
I first saw "Plastic Bag" as a video on Youtube, I saw it at no multiplex, or film festivals, it reminded me of a film I saw last year under almost the same circumstances, an animated film called "Sita Sings the Blues". With that film, the director let you download it on her website for free simply because she just wanted to get it out there for people to see.
"Sits Sings the Blues" was one of the most original and best movies of last year, and "Plastic Bag" is probably the best film I've seen this year which makes me think that the most creative films being made today are right in front of you on your laptop. These are films by people who may be desperate to find a venue for their films and what better place than on the Internet where there could be the possibility of thousands of people coming across it.
Perhaps this is where the future of cinema is, maybe it's the only place where films like these can still find a home. As long as short, yet inspiring films like "Plastic Bag" are shown on the Internet, then there's hope for all budding filmmakers out there.
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