Into Eternity: A Film for the Future (2010)

A documentary on the safety of nuclear storage.

Director:

Michael Madsen

Writers:

Michael Madsen, Jesper Bergmann

Stars:

Carl Reinhold Bråkenhjelm, Mikael Jensen, Berit Lundqvist

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Carl Reinhold Bråkenhjelm
Mikael Jensen
Berit Lundqvist
Michael Madsen	...	Self
Wendla Paile
Esko Roukola
Sami Savonrinne
Timo Seppälä
Juhani Vira
Peter Wikberg
Timo Äikäs	...	Self

Storyline

The subject of "Into Eternity" is Onkalo, the Finnish government's attempt to solve its nuclear waste problem by carving a vast, 4km-deep bunker out of solid rock to bury it in for at least the next 100,000 years. However, the film's focus is bigger. Instead of looking for cover-ups and conspiracies at the site, Madsen uses the existence of Onkalo to create a hauntingly beautiful meditation on the mortality of our civilization, asking the question: what do we say about ourselves when we create something that will outlast everything we understand? That may be the last thing that remains of our society?

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Plot Keywords:

nuclear | storage | radiation | dump | underground | 

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Taglines:

We need you to know that this place should not be disturbed. You should stay away from this place ....then you will be safe.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to high-level waste problems, there are numerous examples of existing disposal sites containing low level waste which have been leaking radiation into the environment. Drigg in the UK and CSM in LeHague, France being just two. No guarantees can be given that waste will remain isolated from the environment over the tens to hundreds of thousands of years. There is no 100 % reliable method to warn future generations about the existence of nuclear waste dumps. An example of where industry plans, to safely store nuclear waste, have been exposed as flawed is the proposed dump site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, US. After nearly 20 years of research and billions of dollars of investment, not one gram of spent fuel has been shipped to the site from nuclear reactors across the US. Major uncertainties in the geological suitability for waste disposal at the site remain. In the meantime, most nuclear power plants in the United States have resorted to the indefinite on-site dry cask storage of waste in steel and concrete casks.

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Quotes

Michael Madsen: This place is not a place of honor. No esteemed deeds are commemorated here. You should not have come here. You are heading towards a place where you should never go. What is there is dangerous and repulsive. The danger will still be present in your time as it is in ours. Please turn around and never come back. There is nothing here for you. Go no further.

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Soundtracks

Valse Triste Op. 44, No. 1
Written by Jean Sibelius
Performed by Goteborg Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi

User Reviews

Beautiful, chilling, haunting, provocative

Even if you have no interest in where energy comes from or in nuclear technology, this documentary is so beautifully filmed and produced that there is enjoyment in just watching it.

The core question posed by this documentary is: how do you warn countless future generations, for 100,000 years to stay away from the radioactive waste? The documentary maker asks questions of the people involved. Their responses are often chilling.

There is also some dark humor in it - the expressions on the faces of the nuclear power executives when asked what happens after hundreds or thousands of years have passed.

An extremely important documentary for this moment in history. Everyone should watch this.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Denmark Finland Sweden Italy

Language:

English Swedish Finnish

Release Date:

6 January 2010 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Into Eternity

Filming Locations:

Finland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR668,952 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,530, 6 February 2011

Gross USA:

$55,366

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,366

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atmo Media Network, Film i Väst, Global HDTV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1