Before the Flood is a documentary from 2016, Directed by Fisher Stevens and written by Mark Monroe, following Leonardo DiCaprio as he goes around the Earth looking at the current and even future devastating impact of climate change. The issue of climate change denial, particularly among corporations and the government is explored heavily and how corporations pay off government speakers to deny climate change for profit. Themes of the documentary are the environment, corruption, government, corporations, greed, ignorance, science, art, technology and fear. Before the Flood was produced by many famous filmmakers , in particular, Fisher Stevens, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brett Ratner, James Packer, Trevor Davidovski, Jennifer Killoran and Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. The way that National Geographic has distributed the film is very interesting, as it shows them adapting to the modern style of distribution to present the film. The film is available in it’s entirety on their youtube channel for free, which I think I because he doesn’t want to make money of the documentary, but just wants to show the world what kind of troubles there is around us, and also how much it’s contaminating when we are doing our everyday habits. But is also available in select theaters and can be purchased online.
The film presents us for some visible signs of a growing environmental crisis. Besides from serving as a warning prior the upcoming the US presidential election and about voting on the leaders who prioritize climate change policies, the movie also shows us some practical solutions for saving the planet.
Dicaprio is interviewing some people from some very different countries and cultures, and he gets some very unique and passionate views on what needs to be done right now, but also in the future, to make our economic and political systems environmentally friendly. Among the interviewees are President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Pope Frans, as well as a large number of scientists, nature conservationists and indomitable activists working to save the world.
The film makes use of three different documentary modes to broadcast its message. It is firstly an expository documentary as it makes use of facts and figures, with added narration from Leonardo DiCaprio to get across it’s negative view of how global warming is doing increased damage to the Earth. It also features talking head interviews to give across some detailed exposition of information. Secondly, Before The Flood is also a reflexive documentary as while climate change and global warming is the movie’s main focus, Leonardo DiCaprio is a major aspect of the documentary as he is constantly on screen, giving his opinions, looking at his time filming the Revenant, his acceptance as the U.N’S environmental activist, and much of what is exposed by the film on climate change is usually referenced to himself and his own experiences. Finally the film could also be considered a slight participatory documentary as, throughout the film, the viewer is prompted with statements such as “we need to change” and various pleading phrases to the viewer watching that the world will be in a bad place if we don’t bring about increased restrictions on fossil fuels and food diets. At the end of the film, there is a still explaining that to learn more you can go on the films official website, to learn of ways to cut down on emissions. This is getting the viewer and audience involved as it is accepting donations and awards for those making a difference to combat climate change.
“For us, there is no more important story to tell, climate change is the most important challenge our planet faces,” Courteney Monroe said, as the Managing Director of National Geographic Global Networks. “We believe storytelling can change the world and this worldwide free view on digital platforms is not just news for us but for the whole industry, which emphasizes how unique we believe this film is and how much we burn for the subject . We are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible see this film before the US presidential election. ” she continues.