The feds call Earth Liberation Front members domestic terrorists. In reality they're better described as aggressive hippies who gained the full attention of corporate crooks and environmental criminals. Director Marshall Curry's If a Tree Falls tells the full tale of the ELF's genesis in Oregon, and of the group's badass campaign of "economic sabotage" that left more than 1200 symbols of bourgeois excess (a Vail ski resort, an SUV dealership) burned to the ground. But it also zeroes in on one particularly tragic member who paid dearly for his strong convictions. Although kind to the plights of activists who face hard time for victimless crimes, this film is balanced — conservatives could easily interpret it as validation of the group's persecution. Progressives, however, will likely walk away with ideas on how to replicate ELF efforts 20 times over in the Twitter age.
