Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story (2005)

This film, made with the financial support of the Canadian government, is based on the true story of a genuine environmental hero. Simon Jackson was only 13 when he began his crusade to save the Spirit Bear, a white version of Ursus Americanus Kermodei, which occurs in about 10% of the black bears which live in a relatively small area in Canada. The only habitat of the Spirit Bear is Princess Royal Island, other adjacent large islands, and nearby coastal British Columbia. This unique temperate rainforest area was threatened by clearcut logging. Simon faced down not only the BC government, and the timber industry, but also the loggers themselves.

His story is one that needs to be told to everyone on this planet---that it is possible for one determined person to change what is happening to our environment, before it is too late. The film is not a millions-of-bucks slick production, but is touching and feels genuine. The footage of the Spirit Bear(s) is truly remarkable. I love Graham Greene and he was perfect in his role of a somewhat disillusioned environmental organization employee and mentor to Simon. My only real criticism is the music, which seemed much louder than the rest of the soundtrack.

For people who know nothing about the campaign to save the Spirit Bear's habitat from destruction by ignorance and greed, the film is very enlightening. For those of us who joined our voices to the thousands who heard about the Spirit Bear directly from Simon Jackson, it is very heartening to see the story disseminated through this film. I can only hope everyone who sees it will feel empowered to lift their voice to protest greed and injustice in the world.