Watching "Earthlings" (Burbank, CA: Nation Earth, 2007), a documentary videorecording, written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson, I could not help but associate the graphic images in the film with Dante's Inferno. This world is obviously the Hell to those miserable earthlings, who have to go through all kinds of horrific tortures and barbaric acts "humans" could think of to inflict upon other weaker beings on earth. Animals, like humans, have feelings, emotions, and intelligence. The only difference is probably that they are unable to communicate with humankind in a human language that can shock and stop the wrong doers. In the film, the animals are weak, helpless, and vulnerable to those devilish acts of torture by "humans."
"Earthlings" is the film which watching once is enough, because the viewer could hardly get rid of her mind all those barbaric tortures her "fellows" have created to treat those preys in their hands in the name of "God" or "science" or some "good cause." The film was certainly as hard to make for the producer as it is to watch for the viewer. "Earthlings" made me feel nausea and abhor at the sight of blood and flesh, and have goose bumps about the ways my own "species" treats others. I am very skeptical about "civilization," and do not think "humans" now are any more "civilized" than cave people. Perhaps, the latter was better than the former in many ways. Who knows?
If we all want to live and be happy, why don't we treat others with respect and dignity? After watching the film, Lev Tolstoy's statement is still ringing in my mind:
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there are battlefields."
That explains why we still have wars in many places in the world after WWI and WWII.
