What / Why in the World are they spraying - DVD

Film: When the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull paralyzed air traffic to a large extent in 2010, one could observe a spectacle in the region around Frankfurt that had become quite rare: In addition to an unusual silence, the sky also presented itself in an unusually unclouded blue on clear days. There was no trace of the condensation trails caused by the ever-increasing volume of air traffic. However, a day without contrails is the absolute exception, because especially in recent years, these traces in the sky have increased significantly. In the wonderful documentary The Moon Conspiracy one could already learn some not quite serious theories about the so-called chemtrails, which could be debunked there however quite easily as absolute spinning. The documentary What in the World are they spraying and its sequel Why in the World are they spraying is a bit different. In these films, filmmaker Michael Murphy tries to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding chemtrails and the consequences of geoengineering.

The trigger for this were increasingly clear observations of contrails that dissipate much more slowly than conventional contrails. This is accompanied by ever more drastically rising levels of aluminium, barium and strontium in the soils of the regions over which chemtrails are increasingly being detected. A connection seems only logical. And also the conclusion that this phenomenon cannot be related to commercial aviation. The question is then who is behind it - and why? Is it the American government or an internationally operating group that deliberately wants to poison part of humanity in order to strengthen the elite? Or is it the machination of industry, which wants to force the sale of certain types of grain or anti-allergy drugs?

On the basis of numerous conversations, tables and research results, Murphy wants to prove that chemtrails are not a myth and that geoengineering is not mere theory, but has long been put into practice. His interlocutors agree with him completely, support his theses with their own experiences, observations or measurements and then expand the whole thing with their own assumptions. Sometimes this sounds very convincing and almost frighteningly comprehensible. But the two documentaries have two factors by which they disqualify themselves as documentaries to be taken really seriously.

The first factor is that the conclusions expressed by the filmmakers and the interviewees are only conjectures. Over and over again the theses are accompanied by a in my opinion, then it is only logical that... or then it must be so. Nothing is really proven here. Certainly, some things sound quite plausible, but only conjectures are presented here, which are however sold as truth. Above all, this is done by a rather manipulative imagery, with constantly repeating shots of contrails or chemtrails alternating with shots of children, beautiful nature or cute animals.

The second and decisive factor, however, is that Murphy never really seeks the conversation with the other side. True, he virtually ambushes some politicians in Washington as they rush off to meetings or lunch breaks. But it is clear that in such moments only evasions or superficial answers are given to his questions. But that he sits down with a scientist, politician or industrialist and presents the arguments of the other side more than just in passing and deals with them concretely, unfortunately doesn't happen here. And he would have had the opportunity to do so for two films. It just seems as if he didn't trust himself to prove and maintain his theses in a direct confrontation. Just presenting short snippets of some video footage taken out of context is just not enough.

Thus, both documentaries come across as too one-sided, giving them more the character of being conspiracy theories that are hard to take seriously. While this is still interesting and entertaining to a certain extent. But the fact that the chance for a balanced discussion of the topic was given away in favor of some horror scenarios, which seem rather exaggerated, is a great pity!

Picture + Sound: Since the documentaries were shot on a fairly low budget and amateur footage or TV recordings are used again and again, the visual quality in particular is often below that of other documentaries. The sharpness of the images is often below average, especially in the amateur footage, and only in the more recent interviews and exterior shots can it be just as convincing as the colouring. The sound is very front-heavy and is primarily dominated by the voice over commentaries.

Extras: Unfortunately, neither DVD has any bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: What in the World are they spraying and its sequel Why in the World are they spraying are two not uninteresting documentaries, which, however, is too one-sided and bases its theses less on facts than on assumptions and a but very manipulative staging, so that it is difficult to view the wild conspiracy theories of the creators despite some quite comprehensible theories as really credible. Nevertheless, especially the first part is very interesting and worth watching, as it poses some basic questions besides some rather wild speculations, which are worth thinking about and discussing. If you like conspiracy theories, are interested in the topics of chemtrails and geoengineering, but don't expect a really objective documentary, you can definitely risk a look at What in the World are they spraying

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp