As the title may suggest, British director Thomas Pickering’s new film aims to challenge the idea that a vegan lifestyle is inaccessible, expensive, or undesirable. Taking a warm approach, at least to begin with, documentary I Could Never Go Vegan wants to dispel a number of myths and assumptions about veganism.
Some are fairly common – is it possible to get enough protein? What about the cost? Others not so much, as we see through interviews with a series of strength-based athletes who thrive from a vegan lifestyle, and how it may even improve things in the bedroom.
Urgent, impassioned food documentaries are everywhere, crowding streaming services with alarming images and messages that often feel like sermons. I Could Never Go Vegan mostly avoids that fate, making valid statements about the benefits for your health and the environment without you feeling like you’re being given the hard sell.
The information is certainly packed in, however, which can wear you down. Some of the key barriers to people making the change, such as economics, don’t feel as explored as they could have been, with every base covered at a relentless pace. A warm lecture is, at the end of the day, still a lecture, and the more balanced aspects of the film jar with the section devoted to animal welfare. The shocking images will make even the most ardent of carnivores think twice, however for a documentary trying to present something different, this part feels similar to those more alarmist works.
Eventually, I Can Never Go Vegan gives in to the harrowing arguments that may make the unconverted steer clear. However, for those on the fence or already embracing a plant-based lifestyle, it validates those choices with carefully considered debate.
I Could Never Go Vegan is in cinemas from 19th April