IMDb 0 2016 HD

Old Growth

Old Growth

2016
6 min
0 IMDB

“Old Growth” is an environmental critique and material enquiry, it consists of three video works, each of which explores different effects of resource extraction or anthropogenic climate change.…

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director Grayson Cooke

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

thought-provoking abstract critical experimental slow unsettling visual environmental challenging unique contemplative artistic

Reviews

L
Liam O'Connell
Apr 17, 2026
2.5 / 5
2.5

'Old Growth' presents a stark, experimental approach to environmental critique. The film’s premise, focusing on time-lapse footage of film media undergoing chemical degradation, is conceptually intriguing but demanding. While the visual metaphor for ecological damage is clear, the…

A
Anya Sharma
Apr 17, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

A profound and visually arresting statement, 'Old Growth' (2016) is a triumph of conceptual filmmaking. The director’s choice to document the chemical decomposition of film stock becomes a startlingly effective metaphor for environmental degradation. Each of the three…

G
Genevieve Dubois
Apr 17, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

This is a film that asks a lot of its audience, and rewards that investment with a unique perspective. 'Old Growth' employs time-lapse photography to depict film media chemically degrading, a strategy that effectively mirrors the slow, relentless…

M
Marcus Bellweather
Apr 17, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

'Old Growth' is less a traditional film and more a cinematic experiment in material consequence. The director’s (uncredited) decision to film the chemical breakdown of film itself is inspired, serving as a powerful analogue for our planet's own…

E
Eleanor Vance
Apr 17, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

Director Unknown's 'Old Growth' is a stark, often meditative, exploration of environmental decay. Its tripartite structure, each segment a time-lapse of film stock dissolving under chemical duress, provides a potent visual metaphor for resource depletion and climate change's…

FAQs

The use of chemically degrading film media is a central conceit, acting as a potent metaphor. It directly links the physical breakdown of the film's material to the environmental degradation caused by resource extraction and climate change. This artistic choice imbues the film with a self-reflexive quality, where the medium itself embodies the themes it explores, creating a visceral connection to decay.