2022 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go is the story of a young woman who struggles with the idea of climate change. She struggles so much that she finds herself seeking a climate psychologist to ease her through her daily life. She soon finds that she’s not alone on this journey, and that numerous others have found themselves in a similar situation, struggling to come to terms with the direction in which our world is headed. As she begins to understand herself better, she also begins to come to terms with the landscape of this ever-changing world–and that’s a step in the right direction.
Please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say, but I’m not entirely sure that this idea of climate change anxiety is as legitimate as Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go aims to make it seem. I’m not saying that this doesn’t exist, just not to the degree expressed throughout this film. I’m no stranger to anxiety, it’s something that I struggle with every single day–so I would consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on the ideas of anxiety and the effects that it can have on someone. I’ve read the articles about climate change, I’ve seen the things that experts have say are coming, and my reaction is often something akin to “ah, fuck.” I’m not claiming to be an expert, but this idea of feelings of impending doom, while they certainly exist, appears to be a device that Director Sindha Agha uses to entertain or appeal to viewers. This feels forced and unnatural to me, and I’m not sure that this works for viewers that are willing to dive deep and dissect the documentary’s narrative.
With all of that being said, Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go presents the protagonist’s ongoing narrative in a way that has the ability to appeal to many. Flashes of images fill the screen, and they tell a story that invites viewers into the film, and it presents viewers with a unique look at the things being talked about throughout. Even the horrifying visuals manage to appear beautiful and easily accessible. They are the driving force behind the film, and Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go relies heavily on these images to entertain viewers and provide them reasons to stick around.
Again, the images present throughout the course of Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go are important to the film, and they do a wonderful job of reeling in viewers from beginning to end. However, even the most intimate images aren't enough to develop a genuine connection between viewer and narrative–because the images depicting the film’s lead never show her face, placing somewhat of a partition up between viewer and subject. That lack of intimacy hinders Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go’s ability to ever truly get the ball rolling. I felt a disconnect between myself and the woman on screen–and that caused the film to fail emotionally.
Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go finds a unique way of presenting a documentary about mental health and climate change to the world, however, I’m not entirely sure that viewers feel the connection that Agha had hoped when developing the film. While the images are beautiful and enticing, the gap between viewer and film is never fully bridged, and that caused me to struggle throughout portions of Everything Wrong and Nowhere to Go. The film has its moments of valor, but not to the degree that I, or anyone attached to the film, had hoped.
Directed by Sindha Agha.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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