"Behemoth," a new documentary film directed by Zhao Liang takes us on a tour of environmental destruction in Inner Mongolia (China). Much like a celebrated film on the same theme also set in China, "Manufactured Landscapes" directed by Edward Burtynsky, Zhao Liang shows us images of disturbing beauty as the environment is literally blown apart in fast pursuit of economic growth. Here, open cast coal mines destroying the natural landscape as far as the eye can see – along the way destroying the nomadic life-style of locals that has been around for thousands of years. The coal feeds local steel mills that make the raw materials to build the miles of empty apartment buildings in China’s new“ghost” cities. We also see coal and steel workers in hellish conditions that destroy their health.

Zhao Liang uses poetry and allegory to tell his story. He has used verité in previous documentaries but, as he explained in a Q & A after a New York screening, he was so stunned by the ravaged landscapes that he needed new tools to convey his horror. The allegory doesn’t work perfectly, but it is sincere and fresh.

Another factor in my interest in this film was a visit to Mongolia in 2013 where large mining companies are developing huge open cast mines in one of the world’s last frontiers. The locations were remote and I was never able to see them. But I’ve been wondering what they might look like and this film gave me a taste. (The video link below is publicity from the Venice Film Festival and some is in Italian and Chinese with subtitles.)