Hadwin's Judgement

Dir: Sasha Snow

2015

***

Hadwin's Judgement is a slow-burning docudrama that deals with a man out of time and a misguided act of sacrifice. Grant Hadwin was a Canadian logger who was regarded as the best in his field. He was rugged, manly and everything you'd expect a lumberjack to be. He is described by friends as being strong and silent with a reputation that proceeded him. He would often be challenged by people who had heard of his great skills at mountain running but he remained unbeaten, as if he was one with the forest. Hadwin would have been one of the first people in thousands of years, if ever, to venture into some of the most remote and dense parts of the British Colombian forest. Over time Hadwin realized that the vast amount of logging, that he was partly responsible for, would have devastating effects on the area he had begun to cherish. Deforestation on that level was unsustainable and after years of battle between him and his employers Hadwin went it alone. He started his own responsible logging business and would recycle what he could, way before recycling was in the public's conscious. It was a bold venture but his business couldn't compete with the larger companies and he went back to work for his previous employers. After this defeat, Hadwin knew he had to get the message across and raise awareness to what was happening to the Forest. Almost 50% of thousands of year old forest had already gone and he knew he had to do something people would notice. Unfortunately, what he did had quite the opposite effect. Hadwin made a judgement call that effected a whole community and did nothing to help the anti-deforestation cause. This documentary talks to his friends, community members who still don't understand his actions and those that where around him at that time. However, we only really find out so much about him. The interviews feed the myth rather than tell the full story. It's incredibly slow, particularly when the thing he did is fairly obvious after the first ten minutes of film. What was covered in the 87 minute run-time could have been covered in around 20 minutes, with 60 minutes exploring more about Hadwin himself and more about his quest. It is an interesting story but this is only half a documentary.