| Director | Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger, Seth Kramer |
|---|---|
| Genre | adventure film, comedy film, documentary film, drama film |
| Runtime | 80 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $870,000 |
The Anthropologist tells the parallel stories of Margaret Mead, who in the twentieth century popularized cultural anthropology around the world, and Susie Crate, an environmental anthropologist currently studying the impact of climate change.
Mead and Crate’s daughters are the film’s storytellers. Mead’s daughter is Mary Catherine Bateson, a 76-year-old cultural anthropologist. Crate’s daughter is Katie Yegorov-Crate, a teenager who begrudgingly travels with her mother. During the film, shot over the course of five years, Katie ages from 13 to 18.
The film weaves together accounts of humanity’s struggle with change, whether environmental, societal, or individual. Susie and Katie travel to Siberia, the South Pacific, the Andes, and the Virginia coast of the Chesapeake Bay. As a result of global warming, the communities they visit are forced to rethink how they live and whether it makes sense to move.
Mary Catherine Bateson talks about how her mother Margaret Mead also studied people facing unprecedented change, but that resulting from modernity, globalization, and war. Mary Catherine’s insights on how those communities adapted provide context for what Susie and Katie discover.
Katie also faces change in her own life. In Siberia, where Susie met Katie’s father while doing research, Katie’s family confronts the prospect of relocating from land it has occupied for centuries. At first hostile towards accompanying her mother on expeditions, Katie appreciates learning of similar struggles among other peoples of the world. Katie begins to learn the value and tools of her mother’s trade.