Now, more than ever, it’s undeniable: there is power in protest. Consider the words from young Leo, the plucky heroine in The Revolution of Plastic:
“No more plastic killing dolphins!”
“No more plastic killing dolphins!”
“No more plastic killing dolphins!”
Ablaze with fury, frustration, and the refusal to be a passive bystander, Leo’s battle cry and The Revolution of Plastic are emblematic of the state of activism in the world at large today. We’re fed up with ignorance and demand change.
An award-winning short from French filmmaker Marine G. Brun-Franzetti, The Revolution of Plastic is the story of Leo Risso (Lois Reiben), a ten-year-old who wages a one-girl war against the overconsumption of plastic in her neighborhood. After reading a headline about the mass death of dolphins due to plastic pollution in oceans, the precocious and intuitive Leo is flooded with emotion. The shocking news has a ripple effect on Leo’s previously placid life.
The setting of Leo’s tiny apartment is permeated by blandness and lifelessness. There’s a sense of detachment from the world at large. Brun-Franzetti shoots the colorless and sparsely decorated apartment from the quietly observant Leo’s perspective. It’s through her precocious eyes that we take in the sheer amount of plastic that lurks all around us.
The fridge is a hellscape of plastic wrapping, tupperware, and bags. The cabinets are crammed with plastic bowls, utensils, and plates. Jugs of plastic dish liquid, laundry detergent, juice, and other large nondescript containers litter every square inch of the countertop. Even the couches are encased in plastic coverings. It’s only Leo’s bedroom that provides refuge from her plastic-choked reality.
Filming Leo’s bedroom in dreamy blue tones and surrounding her with gauzy curtains, plush pillows, and a menagerie of marine creatures Brun-Franzetti conjures up an oceanic sanctuary. In a few quick seconds a stark contrast between Leo’s imaginative paradise full of plush seals and swimming goggles and the rest of the soulless apartment, leeched of all its color and brimming with plastic, is established.
Leo’s well-founded anxiety and indignation about plastic crams a wedge between her and her single father, Mr. Risso (Jared Parke Barron). Through masterful and subtle camera work we discover he’s the store manager of the local grocery shop, Willy Supermarket, and is overworked, underappreciated, and just getting by. Barron’s performance conveys all of that, along with his learned helplessness about the problem of plastic pollution and his exasperation with Leo’s attitude. 
When he sighs out, “Sea creatures are dying every day, plastic or not”, it leaves a bitter aftertaste. When he remarks, “What about the crabs? I don’t want to think about all the crabs dying every day! You’re worrying too much Leo,” we can feel Leo’s heartbreak. Not just because of the insensitivity of his words… but because we’ve all heard them before, if not uttered them ourselves. And, when he does recognize the impact of his words on Leo and attempts to make up with her by gifting her a plastic dolphin balloon, the gesture is both genuinely kind and completely devastating.
Mr. Risso is a mirror for the obliviousness and selective ignorance that plagues so many people. But at the same time, we can relate to Mr. Risso. He’s putting everything he has into providing for his daughter, paying the bills, and keeping their little family intact. How we can glean all of that from a mere ten minutes emphasizes what a remarkable director Brun-Franzetti is.
Much of the brilliance of The Revolution of Plastic is also due to Lois Reiben’s performance. In just 10 minutes we bear witness to Leo’s courageous, fearless, and fierce activism. Her remarkable self-awareness and quiet composure belie the rage and pain she feels inside. We catch a glimpse of those red-hot emotions when Leo daydreams about charging up to a woman strolling by with an armload of bagged groceries. In the daydream Leo launches herself at the woman, clawing ferally at the rustling bags, savagely tearing them apart in visceral fury.
Had The Revolution of Plastic been a widely-released feature film Reiben’s Leo would easily join the ranks of some of the boldest young heroines in cinema among the likes of Mara Wilson’s Matilda and feisty Lilo from Lilo and Stitch. Even so, Reiban’s nuanced performance leaves an indelible impact, even going so far as to win the young actor Honorable Mention in the Lee Strasberg Film Festival.
Beyond visuals, Brun-Franzetti’s sound design contributes to what a striking film The Revolution of Plastic is. The rustling of plastic bags and slick squeak of helium balloons play in some of the most emotionally-charged moments. The intense effect they have is felt instantaneously: it puts our teeth on edge and makes our stomach squirm with anxiety. Who could imagine such ordinary noises could be as sinister and ominous as the Jaws theme music? That the sounds we barely notice have so much weight and power to them? Well…welcome to Leo’s world.
The Revolution of Plastic cumulates in a spectacular protest. Armed with spray paint, a white sheet, and a duo of plastic dolphins Leo wages a one-girl war against the overconsumption of plastic in her neighborhood in the parking lot outside Willy Supermarket. The Revolution of Plastic and Leo’s passion speaks to advocates of all ages. Her unflinching determination to speak up, stand up, and not be silenced is true to the hearts, minds, and mouths of many activists, even in the youngest generations. In this compelling, timely, and formidable short film, Leo’s revolution against plastic and uncompromising commitment to speaking up and speaking out is one we can all be a part of.