The man on my left shares a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for his work on the Intergovernemental Panel on Climate Change. The two girls on my right share an intense passion for Leonardo DiCaprio. We’re sitting in the front row of the fully packed Keene Theater, waiting for “Before the Flood,” a documentary from Leonardo DiCaprio and director Fisher Stevens, to start playing. Dr. Henry Pollack, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, is here to answer questions after the screening. The girls next to me, aside from being major Leo fans, are here as a requirement for their environment class. I’m here because I’m interested in film, climate change, and, like the girls next to me, Leonardo DiCaprio.
“Before the Flood” documents the journey of DiCaprio as he travels the globe to bring attention to the devastating effects of climate change on our environment. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, it is his mission to propel the environmental movement forward, and he does so with this documentary.
The audience cringed and scoffed when Donald Trump was shown telling the people at one of his rallies that it was “pretty cold and we needed some global warming right about now.” We shook our heads and laughed sarcastically when a politician said that climate change was the biggest hoax ever created on the American people. We smiled while Leonardo Dicaprio hung out with an orangutan.
The film presented a wide variety of perspectives on climate change. Interviews with astronauts, United Nations meetings, conversations with world leaders, and footage of different lifestyles around the globe were all combined into a 90-minute screening. It was an efficient and effective way to bring attention to the crisis of climate change.
“Before the Flood” provoked an intense passion in me, and I believe that it can do the same in others. Art is a resource that can convey a powerful message to all kinds of people. Whether in the form of a mural, painting, song, or film, artists can capture an audience with their creativity and inspire people. “Before the Flood” is just one example of this, as the convergence of two passions, film and the environment, resulted in a meaningful and relevant message.
(You can stream “Before the Flood” on National Geographic’s website by clicking here …. 10/10 would recommend)
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