The film claimed to be about Measure G, passed in 2006 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent in the city by 2050. According to the pamphlet handed out at the showing: “This film intended to follow Berkeley leadership from City Hall to the grass roots as they blaze a path to success, and set an example for the nation.” The only part of that statement that we could really agree with is the word “blaze.”

The film’s goal, as you can probably guess from the title, portrayed Berkeley as a city of theatrics: a circus of crazy characters, ridiculous political figures and overzealous hippies fighting for causes that the rest of the country wouldn’t bat an eye at.

It followed Lee Kechley as she dug through dumpsters and passionately explained how Berkeley stole the idea of curbside recycling from her. It showed Shirley Dean bickering with her husband in her home and RunningWolf’s cry for attention campaign for Mayor and of course the altercations between the BPD and the sitters of the infamous tree sit. Oh yeah, and they talked about Measure G, we think …

Becky O’ Malley, Executive Editor of the Daily Planet, who spoke multiple times in the film, said: “I thought it was funny, kind of like a cartoon.” The film was many things: a criticism of Berkeley culture, a visual seizure or just very confusing (random interspliced title cards like “There are dead birds”), but a cartoon was not one of them.

That said, the film was definitely Berkeley, we’ll give him that.

Power Trip – Theatrically Berkeley [YouTube]
Earlier: Documentary Reps People of da Wood