What does one do with nearly 300,000 tons of deadly radioactive waste?  Finland thinks it has the answer.  In Michael Madsen’s documentary, “Into Eternity,” the Danish filmmaker examines the Finnish government’s efforts to bury its share of the world’s nuclear waste in a tunnel three miles into the earth.  After its completion in 2100, the tunnel must remain untouched for at least 100,000 years.  This intriguing and bold plan leads Madsen to raise many philosophical and technical questions throughout his film, providing a haunting take that is more poetic than scientific on a dire environmental issue.  But the answers are too profound and nuanced for this ambitious indie film.

Madsen laces interviews and stunningly shot footage with personal interludes in his self-proclaimed “A Film for the Future.”  As the screen fades to black, the filmmaker strikes a match, faces the camera and asks as the flame dies, “Our people are dependent on nuclear energy. Are you dependent on nuclear energy?  What resources do you use?”  The questions Madsen poses are directed towards future generations, but their implications are very relevant to the present.

At its start, the film has all the makings of a NOVA special.  It delves into the current problem of nuclear waste storage, providing insight from scientists working in the facilities as well as from top Scandinavian experts and politicians.

Hello? Anyone?

As the film progresses, Madsen begins to look at human aspects of the problem and the issue becomes more poignant.  How will future generations know not to unearth the hazardous waste?  Should they even know about it?  What can we do now to save both ourselves and our posterity?

The footage is hauntingly beautiful.  Madsen’s cameras go straight into the tunnel, into the dark abyss of what is now a barren wasteland and into the eerily mechanical nuclear facilities.  The camera paints an ominous picture of what humans have done to their world now and what is to come in the future.  At times, the film seems to be larger than it needs to be because the issues Madsen is examining are too monumental to be resolved in 75 minutes.  Towards the end, his philosophizing starts to become repetitive, as he asks the same questions over and over, both to the audience and to the people he interviews.  There is talk of science and political discourse, though down to its core, the film is about human sustainability.  Although a “A Film for the Future,” it is really a warning for the present.