Spaceship Earth Parent Guide

John Allen has worn many hats in his time - university studies in anthropology, writing, and history, serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a machinist, and an MBA from Harvard – all of which meant that John could have done just about anything with his life. His surprising choice was to found a small-time theater troupe with an interest in ecological sustainability, a group which went on to build Synergia Ranch, an experimental self-sustaining commune with its very own geodesic dome. From there, the construction of a real, functioning sea ship seems to have been the next logical step. And as John and his merry troupe of manic actors/construction experts travel the globe doing odd jobs for Texas billionaire Edward Bass, they come up with their most ambitious idea yet: a sealed simulacrum of Earth’s biomes, a closed system which will house eight scientists who will have to grow all their own food, produce all their own oxygen, and recycle all their own waste for a period of two years.

Although this sounds like a made-for-TV movie about cults, truth is stranger than fiction. Bioshpere 2 became a national sensation. As Spaceship Earth shows, the experiment was fraught with difficulties shortly after the airlock closed in 1991. From interpersonal difficulties, escalating levels of carbon dioxide, and food sustainability problems to a major medical crisis involving a large threshing machine, the journey of the “Biospherians” is incredible.

With no narration, save from the interviews with the participants, Spaceship Earth is remarkably immersive. Thanks to the extensive film footage archives, created by the group, almost everything can be shown on film as it happened. It makes for remarkable viewing. After all, it’s not every day you get to see a theater troupe build and launch a boat.

As with most documentaries, there aren’t too many content concerns. There are several instances of profanity, all of which occur in the original audio recordings from the Biosphere, and some of which are very difficult to make out clearly. There are also several depictions of people drinking wine, including the strange banana-based alcohol produced in the Biosphere. So while the film is broadly suitable for younger viewers, it is probably a little too slow and a good deal too long to hold their attention. But for teens and adults, there is a wealth of interesting detail to bring this strange chapter in history to life.