Without question, the topic of this week’s one and only film I viewed – yep, another documentary – is definitely relevant, timely and generally speaking, fascinating subject matter. And I learned a lot from the film, but can I say you’ll be completely enthralled and not yawn or find your mind wander from time to time? Depending on when you see the film and how much (or little) sleep you got the night before, watching this week’s #MovieMondays entry may bring back memories of nodding off in physics class (or fill in the blank with the your least favorite subject… I confessed mine, now it’s your turn.) But hey, I finally got a chance to see a movie I’d heard about in development for quite a while, so I’m glad I got to see it. As always, thanks for reading. ~ Chris K.
(click on images to enlarge on the screen!)
Documentary (2019)
Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio
The title says it all. Puts a real graphic to the topic, doesn’t it? Much of the film takes viewers to the coldest, northermost regions of the planet and shows day-to-day proof of climate change’s impact on the ecology of the area and how it is ultimately changing the lay of the land everywhere south of it, too. What the documentary offers is absolutely captivating cinematography and intimate looks at the wildlife trying to survive, and both the scientists and indigenous people making their way amid a homeland that’s literally melting away beneath their feet. Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio is not only the narrator for this documentary which debuted earlier this summer on HBO but he also was a major force behind getting the film made as one of its executive producers.
I appreciate the arduous work these people so, as the film follows scientists among multiple fields of study as they trek across the Arctic, Greenland and just about everywhere most of us would never want to set foot miles away just to gather data that will impact generations to come and the path of technology being developed to take on climate change. I was struck by the visible weariness of the different scientists and major players in these various studies and research projects underway. As the film moved toward its conclusion and suggested that major progress was being made by our friends in the U.K. to turn sea water into electricity for an extended period of time, I felt almost a sense of relief after everything we’ve been told and shown for the first 80 minutes of so of the film — that there could actually be some bit of hope out there worth grasping on to a little bit. And I could not contain my thoughts from wandering into the future. My grandkids are almost 5, 7 and 16, and I wonder what the Arctic will look like in images and videos like the ones I watched in this film, when they too are in their late 40s or early 50s and maybe contemplating the futures of their own children or grandchildren.
I do appreciate a film that makes me stop and think. I would just say that the pacing of this particular documentary and the storytelling format are — not to be punny — but quite dry in their delivery of the science behind the studies and their findings. I’m not suggesting that the documentary needed to be “dumbed down” although I will say I so appreciated how the modern-day COSMOS with Neil deGrasse Tyson at the helm and Seth MacFarlane executive producing went out of its way to gather on board as many audience members as possible from all different backgrounds to hop on for a true universal educational opportunity, and I wish that the filmmakers might have been a little more creative in how to tell their story in order to keep viewers hooked and locked into the critical nature of it.
I recommend seeing the film though I might suggest seeing it at a time when you feel your most alert and ‘tuned in’ self, so that you can truly focus on the material and not watch this one with a lot of distractions. The serious nature of where Earth may be headed warrants our heads out of our phones, I suppose. Give this one your undivided attention to keep up with it, and I think you will appreciate what valuable insight the film offers.
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