''Planeat'' is a 2010 British documentary film by Or Shlomi and Shelley Lee Davies. The film discusses the possible nutritional and environmental benefits of adopting a whole foods,

plant-based diet A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods. It encompasses a wide range of dietary patterns that contain low amounts of animal products and high amounts of fiber-rich plant products such as vegetables ...

based on the research of T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and

Gidon Eshel Gidon Eshel is an American Geophysics, geophysicist best known for his quantification of the "geophysical consequences of agriculture and diet (nutrition), diet". As of 2017, he is research professor at Bard College in New York (state), New York. ...

. The film also features the views of

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher who is Emeritus Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. Singer's work specialises in applied ethics, approaching the subject from a secu ...

. According to Shelley Lee Davies, the film purposely does not cover any purported

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

arguments (as opposed to

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

) for adopting a plant-based (

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

) diet, but concentrates on the health and environmental reasons instead. ''Planeat'' premiered at the 2010

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...

. It released theatrically in the United States in April 2011 and the United Kingdom in May 2011. The film was privately screened by the film's directors and Willie Bain MP at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...

in March 2011 and in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in May 2011.

Critical reception

Jamie Russell of
Total Film
' gave it 4 stars out of 5 and called it “Punchy and inspirational” and "Forceful stuff, though we can take or leave the kale sandwiches." Jennie Kermode of
Eye For Film
' gave it 4 stars out of 5 and praised the cinematography “For fans of cookery programmes it is likely to be

love at first sight Love at first sight is a personal experience and a common theme in creative works: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. It has been desc ...

. Bright, crisp cinematography perfectly captures a dazzling array of beautifully prepared foods which one can almost smell” Cath Clarke of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' gave the movie 2 stars out of 5 and, speaking as a vegetarian convert, speculated on her reasons for disliking the film: "Maybe it's the tippy-toe, softly-softly tone, sprinkling inspiration between the science, with visits to boutique organic farms and kooky vegan cupcake bakeries. Possibly it ought to come with a warning: contains traces of smugness." Charlotte O'Sullivan of the ''

London Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free of charge in London, England. It is print ...

'' writes, "''PlanEat'' is on a serious mission but its lack of focus is infectious. My big question as the credits rolled: why are so many vegan chefs covered in tattoos?" Christopher Long of ''Movie Metropolis'' gave the movie a 5 out of 10 saying, "a movie by true believers for true believers, and I am not one."A movie by true believers for true believers
/ref> Awards and Festivals The Jury Selection, UK Green Film Festival Award FICMA, Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival London International Documentary Film Festival Newport Beach Film Festival Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital European Documentary Film Festival Melbourne Environmental Film Festival Slow Motion Food Film Festival, Nova Scotia Tutti Nello Stesso Piatto Festival, Italy Ecocup Moscow Film Festival Do Something Reel Film Festival Raindance Film Festival Oneonta Film Festival Cinema Verde Environmental Film and Arts Festival

References

External links

* * * {{Portal bar, Food, Environment, Film, United States 2010 films British documentary films Vegetarianism in the United Kingdom 2010s English-language films 2010s British films Documentary films about plant-food diets English-language documentary films

Critical reception

See also

References

External links