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Deep Dive: Spaceship Earth (2020)

Film Lens

Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth is a documentary directed by Matt Wolf that focuses on the 1991 experiment involving eight individuals living for two years inside Biosphere 2, a self-engineered replica of Earth's ecosystem located in the Arizona desert. The film utilizes archived footage and present-day interviews to illustrate the ecological issues faced by the biospherians and the controversies surrounding their experiment, including accusations of cult-like behavior. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, and was released in the United States on May 8, 2020. It presents a behind-the-scenes look at the ambitious project, capturing both the serious intent behind the experiment and the challenges that arose, including interpersonal conflicts and the eventual takeover by Steve Bannon in 1993, which led to significant changes in the project's direction.

Why Watch

  • See the unique Biosphere 2 experiment in action.
  • Meet the eight biospherians living in a closed ecosystem.
  • Find out about the controversies surrounding the project.
  • Discover the impact of Steve Bannon on Biosphere 2.

Did You Know

Biosphere 2 was constructed in the Arizona desert in 1991.
The film premiered at Sundance on January 26, 2020.
Rotten Tomatoes rated the film 88% based on 112 reviews.
Metacritic assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100 based on 26 critics.
Steve Bannon only appears in the final 15 minutes of the film.

Perfect For

Environmental science enthusiastsDocumentary film loversFans of unique experiments