Before the Flood (2016)

A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet.

Director:

Fisher Stevens

Writer:

Mark Monroe

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Ki-moon Ban, Alejandro G. Iñárritu

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Himself - Narrator
Ki-moon Ban	...	Himself (as Ban Ki-Moon)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu	...	Himself
Mike Brune	...	Himself (as Michael Brune)
Marc Mageau	...	Himself
Enric Sala	...	Himself (as Dr. Enric Sala)
Jake Awa	...	Himself
Jason Box	...	Himself (as Prof. Jason E. Box)
Philip Levine	...	Himself
Michael E. Mann	...	Himself (as Dr. Michael E. Mann)
Ma Jun	...	Himself
Alvin Lin	...	Himself
Sunita Narain	...	Herself
Ashok Lavasa	...	Himself
Haji Ji	...	Himself, farmer

Storyline

Using his celebrity status to draw attention to the problem of global warming, one of the most important and pressing issues of our time, actor and United Nations Messenger of Peace, Leonardo DiCaprio, travels the globe to witness firsthand the effects of an impending environmental disaster. By visiting ancient melting glaciers and levelled Indonesian tropical forests, DiCaprio unearths an urgent situation and the world's dependence on fossil fuels, going as far as to visit President Obama himself for an in-depth interview. But, can this crusade inspire the climate-change deniers?

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Plot Keywords:

environment | ecosystem | climate change | solar energy | solar panel | 

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Taglines:

The Science is Clear. The Future is Not.

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Genres:

Documentary | News

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, some nude and suggestive art images, language and brief smoking

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Turning Point

Filming Locations:

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Company Credits

Production Co:

RatPac Documentary Films, Appian Way, Insurgent Docs

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released for free on the National Geographic YouTube channel.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Leonardo DiCaprio: My first visual memories are of this framed poster above my crib. I'd stare at it every night before I went to bed. My father was an underground comic distributor.

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Connections

Featured in Docventures: Ilmastonmuutos (2017)

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Soundtracks

Between Two Poles
Composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

User Reviews

A very well made and surprisingly thoughtful movie about the reality we face

This is an excellent documentary for masses that are either not that familiar with the realities of climate change or don't understand what is at stake or how it works and why.

This was probably the goal of the producers (among them Leonardo Di Caprio or Michael Scorsese) to appeal to a general audience. I must admit I watched it also for that reason. And I see no problem with that! I spare my comment on Leo Di Caprio's activism and work in that field for later as I know many argue that his activism is only his PR and so on...

But, I think the point here is the message of this movie, not the messenger. Visually it is excellent. Leo Di Caprio and all the crew takes us on all the places directly affected by the climate change and show us how the poorest countries on Earth suffer the most of the effects of climate change. They interview not only politicians, leaders and, the pope - but mostly scientists and local people from the most damaged areas. They connect how the oil industry and current energy giants like Exxon, Tepco and so on. lobby in US congress to buy their support and tacit consent, but not dwell too much on it - as if to shift the focus to nature with its stunning cinematography and rather appeal to people on that level, while showing how climate change already f*cked up Poles, forests, and coastal areas and how it's gonna f*ck up a many more areas and shape the politics and economy of the near future.

I also liked that despite his celebrity status Leo Di Caprio (the main interviewer) doesn't fall into false hopes and promises but keeps his mind open and skeptic. Because I think the goal of the movie is to show the reality of the long-term effect and not to wallow too much in short-term steps - like Paris 2015 conference.

Lastly, about Leo Di Caprio. You don't need to like him to enjoy this movie. And you can say whatever you want about his activism, the fact is that on the top of making this documentary, he drives an electric car, and a bike, uses his Facebook almost solely on promoting climate change actions and even spent his time during acceptance of his Oscar for The Revenant to speak about native Americans and climate change. So I don't think this is all just a stunt and PR! Who said that just because you are famous and rich you can't genuinely care and express your activism or can't worry about the planet and the civilization? I think this type of thinking is just another side of the same coin, people who criticize "celebrities" for not speaking out, and people who criticize "celebrities" once they do speak up, are in my opinion much more influenced by the celebrity culture than they think or can admit. It's no win situation when you put people in a mental box.

All in all,you can find some great piece of activism and cinematography in the documentary and I highly recommend for anyone who is ...a human being.

And if you are interested in deeper insights into how this climate change crisis intertwines with politics, corruption, war and economy, go and watch The Shock Doctrine, or have a look on the Zeigeist movie trilogy and The Zeitgeist movement.