Recipes for Disaster

Asia Pacific Premiere

Filmmaker John Webster does not want his children to have any cause for complaint that he did not personally do anything to reduce the effect of climate change. So he announces drastic measures to reduce his family’s CO2 production, including not to have a car or to buy products made of plastic for one year while attempting to retain their middle class suburban lifestyle. Soon, John’s wife and his two little sons feel the consequences of the father’s biodynamic strategies. It becomes a tough job finding adequate hygiene products like toothpaste and toilet paper in the supermarket. Even corn flakes pose a problem due to the plastic free gifts inside the box.

The everyday things that we don’t do or can’t help doing, make up recipes for disaster. In this comedy of errors, the Webster family find themselves testing their values, will power and happiness.

This well paced and humorous film documents the comedy of errors that result from a do-gooder’s well-intentioned plans that at times seem impossible to implement and at other times stretch the patience of his family to breaking point. Yet, the film gives a surprising demonstration of what the individual can do to avert a climatic catastrophe – even if one can’t help thinking that it is John Webster’s marriage that is on the verge of suffering a catastrophe throughout this difficult year.