Swamps on the big screen reflect our feelings about wetlands, researchers say

Maybe you’ve seen the meme. Classic movie characters covered up to their necks in mud, with text reading: “When I was a kid, I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem in my life.” Quicksand was a strangely common plot topic in the ’70s and ’80s, but murky depictions of wetlands in movies haven’t gone away.

A new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign examines how wetlands are depicted in films, suggesting that they play a specific role in the development of the story and reflect collective perceptions of the society about these unique ecosystems and the cultures they hide. The study entitled “The representation of wetlands in modern films” is published in Wetlands

“Nowadays, many people are disconnected from nature and the way they experience it is in one way or another through cinema or screen. We were interested in how representation wetlands in the film could influence attitudes toward these ecosystems,” said the study co-author. author and wetland ecologist Jeff Matthews, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) University of I.

Learn how Hollywood shapes our perception of wetlands

Characterizing the depiction of wetlands in modern films involved searching film databases for 30 keywords related to wetlands, including swamps, bogs, marshes, floodplains, and more. in films released between 1980 and 2019. This search led to 163 films with at least one wetland scene. The four-person research team then divided up the films, turned on their popcorns and sat down to watch.

“We recorded pretty detailed notes about everything that was happening in the scene: music, visual cues, location, etc.,” said lead author Jack Zinnen, a wetland plant ecologist at Illinois Natural History. Survey, part of the University’s Prairie Research Institute. . by I. “Sometimes we would watch a two-hour movie for a one-minute scene in a wetland, but we would get every detail of that minute.”

After labeling and tallying all 163 films, they analyzed their data to arrive at several main themes.

Wetlands, perilous routes and psychological barriers

Wetlands were depicted in a completely negative way in just over half of the films, representing some sort of challenge or misfortune for the characters. This could be in the physical sense, as an obstacle they had to overcome or circumvent, or as a setting that conveyed the troubled emotional state of the characters, as in the so-called “Swamps of Sadness” in The NeverEnding Story. .

“A lot of the negative portrayals were simple. There’s a crime scene with a murder victim, and they have to put her somewhere,” Matthews said. “But some negative portrayals were more complex. In many films, the wetland is not only a dangerous place, it’s a strange place filled with strange inhabitants and paranormal elements.”

Mud, mystery and marginalization: the complex role of wetlands in the film

Several films featured “altered” cultures in wetlands, often reinforcing stereotypes and cultural attitudes toward marginalized peoples who have retreated into wetland landscapes in many parts of the country and world.

“Wetlands are difficult to navigate, so they’re a place where disenfranchised or marginalized people have sought refuge. They’re difficult places to live,” Matthews said. “At the same time, however, wetlands are environments rich in biodiversity and resources, so people could make a living in these places while staying away from persecution.”

Zinnen highlights Beasts of the Southern Wild as a departure from dominant depictions of “altered” communities in wetlands. “I went into it blind and loved it. It touches on a lot of really interesting themes about poverty and community and climate change, with the wetland itself almost being a personification of these marginalized people.”

From danger to discovery: wetlands as transformative spaces

While a majority of films present wetlands and their inhabitants in a categorically negative light, other depictions are more dynamic. The characters initially faced danger or despair, but, as they passed through the swamp, they learned key lessons or met important figures that helped enhance their journey; at the same time, which could change the public’s perception of the setting.

“This has been particularly well illustrated in some animated films like Shrek and The Princess and the Frog,” Matthews said.

“In both of these films, the depiction of the wetland starts out as dangerous or crude, but becomes overwhelmingly positive. In the case of Shrek, the swamp becomes a home and a place of joy. And in the case of The Princess and the Princess Frog, the characters adapt to the setting and find friendship, fulfillment and ultimately love in the wetland, by the end of these films the audience discovers the wetlands as positive places.

Cinematic wetlands: a reflection of reality?

Surprisingly, even when wetlands were portrayed in negative or fleeting ways, film producers took the time to include realistic depictions of the biodiversity and beauty inherent in these ecosystems.

“Even though wetlands are portrayed as unpleasant places, the focus is on nature and wildlife,” Zinnen said. “The filmmakers will take the time to show the pretty egret flying in the mist.”

The authors encourage viewers to pay close attention to how filmmakers use natural settings to advance plots and to question their own attitudes toward wetlands, especially if their only experiences with them take place on the screen.

Changing tides: wetlands as ecosystems in a popular film

“Historically, Westerners viewed wetlands as physical obstacles to settlement and movement across the landscape. They were wastelands unsuitable for agriculture, breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and hiding places for people living outside the law,” Matthews said.

“It is this disregard for wetlands that, in large part, has led to their mass destruction. We have learned much in recent decades about the value of wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide, but there is always an inherent fear that underlies our politics towards them. I think that’s what we see coming through in a lot of these films.

Although Zinnen agrees with Matthews that people should visit wetlands in real life, he isn’t suggesting filmmakers change the way they depict peat ecosystems.

“I think people should do whatever they want creatively, and if you want to make Wetlands the bad guy, I actually say go for it. To me, that’s pretty cool than Wetlands have this credibility,” he said. “I just think people who consume or produce media need to be aware that things are caricatures. They don’t reflect reality.”

Authors include Jack Zinnen, Brian Charles, Chris Wilhelm and Jeff Matthews.