The documentary by Marshall Curry did a great job of presenting both views of the topic. He was able to trace the beginnings of ELF and examine their motivations. He found great examples of where members in the group felt that the peaceful process had failed them. Curry allowed Daniel to speak freely which allowed to viewer to peer into Daniel’s viewpoint, but it also showed contradictions in some of Daniel’s views.

Curry’s take on whether the word terrorist was appropriate for ELF members was very balanced. He was able to show why the government thought the word to be appropriate, and why Daniel revolted against the word.  The word arsonist really fails to describe what the ELF was doing. They weren’t burning down property for enjoyment or for monetary gain. They were destroying property to achieve a political goal. They probably lie closer to terrorists than arsonists; however, the fact that no one lost their life during one of their attacks does matter a lot. That isn’t enough to clear them from the label Eco-terrorists because, in the end, these weren’t victim less crimes.

Overall, Curry was able to weave together a story that sometimes spanned over the entire USA into a very well paced film with very intriguing characters. He was able to do it without getting lost in one side’s perspective. It was refreshing to learn about an issue from a format different from the news where everything was presented in a more calm way.