Green house guru

It's hard at first to understand what British documentary-maker Oliver Hodge sees in eco-architect Michael Reynolds. In various snapshots we find the man draped over motorbikes, crinkly hair blowing in the breeze. He looks like Robert Plant’s demented older brother. He clearly thinks he’s sex on wheels. Once Hodge gets into the nitty-gritty of Reynolds’s DIY projects, however, the film becomes mesmerising.

Reynolds spent years in New Mexico using old tyres, beer cans and rainwater to try to create offthe-grid, solar-powered homes. He often got things wrong, leading to leaks and explosions. Over a period of three years we watch Reynolds’s mission — to create test sites where architects can try out new ideas safely — being thwarted by bureaucrats. He’s been sued on numerous occasions and in 1997 lost his architect’s licence.

In between, we follow his trip to the Andaman Islands with a team of his protégés, to help victims of the tsunami repair their lives — and homes — in the simplest possible way. It is unclear whether Reynolds "earthships" would work in countries like England (what if the sun doesn’t shine?) but they look remarkably impressive here, and would probably come in handy in Burma and China right now.

Hodge, who has never made a film before, obviously identifies with his hero’s can-do attitude. He sticks close to the old hippy and — as a result — takes us all on a wild ride.