Review of Before The Flood

       Before the Flood was a powerful, eye-opening documentary. With sights of landscapes effected by climate change, this documentary goes into detail on the importance of taking action on being environmentally responsible right now. In the documentary, Leonardo DiCaprio talks to experts and those effected by climate change about solutions to the problem. 
     Before the Flood starts with DiCaprio’s child-hood story about a painting his father had of The Garden of Eden and how it became overabundant and then how it eventually decayed into a bitter wasteland in three portraits. DiCaprio said this image reminded him of the real world right now. He says that we’re in the second part of the picture and we are heading toward the third image if we don’t make a change. This hook is very effective in drawing in the watcher and have them think about the reality they are living in.  
     DiCaprio then travels the four corners of the Earth. He goes to Greenland where ice is melting faster than ever. DiCaprio asks if the melted ice would just freeze again when hitting the ice, but the expert said no that it actually causes the frozen ice to melt. If this continues, according to the expert, a lot of the world will be under water.  This scene is very awakening to the viewer because a lot of people’s homes will be under water and they will either die or must relocate if this continues.  
 
     After traveling to the places effected by climate change, DiCaprio travels to Paris to speak at the Paris Climate Deal meeting. He gives a powerful speech to many of the world’s leaders about why signing this agreement is important and doing your country’s part in reducing fossil fuel usage will help preserve the planet for future generations.  
     After the success in the signing of The Paris Agreement, DiCaprio speaks to then President Barack Obama about the future of energy in America and around the world. Obama says that things may look bad now but that he is very optimistic about the future of our planet thanks to the agreement. After the interview, the documentary wraps up with a call to action for everyone to be more environmentally friendly and help change the course of history for the better; alluding to the painting from the beginning of the documentary. 
     This documentary is very excellent, and I would recommend it to everyone, both interested and uninterested in climate change science. The documentary not only effects the feelings of the viewer through images of the effects, but also provides a solid, clear argument for fighting against climate change. This documentary is one of the best ones out there and is definitely rewatchable.